The life of St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi : Florentine noble, sacred Carmelite virgin

i

A. M. D. G.

Smsa's iOihrary

387 BRUNSWICK

TORONTO. CAN.

PHE9ENTHD BY

CHI

BIB^HIS

THE LIFE AND WORKS

..OF..

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

ILLUSTRATED.

Statue of the Saint in St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi's i Italian ) Church,
Philadelphia.

THE LIFE

F.

OF

St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi

FLORENTINE NOBLE

* -•*

SACRED CARMELITE VIRGIN

Compiled by the REV. PLACIDO FABRINI

TO WHICH ARE ADDED HER WORKS, A NARRATION OF THE MIRACLES

WROUGHT THROUGH HER INTERCESSION DOWN TO OUR DAYS

AND PRAYERS FOR THE NOVENA IN HER HONOR

je ji ji

Translated from the Florentine Edition of J852
and Published by the

E

REV. ANTONIO ISOLERI, Miss. Ap. £

Rector of the new St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi's Italian Church, Philadelphia, Pa., U.3^4

PART I.

Enriched with New Illustrations together with the Reproduction
of those in the Original Work

Jl Jl Jl

PHILADELPHIA
J900

35949

obstat.

J. F. LOUGHLIN, D. D.,

Censor Librorum.

5mpritn»ttit\

* P. J. RYAN,

Archiepiscopus Philadelphiensis.

PHILADELPHIA, iij Non. Martii, 1900.

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COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY REV. A. ISOLERT.

LORETTO BRUNSWICK CONVENT

o tfie tfien modest and amiaSfe Soy,

tfie dear friend of fas youtfi in Savonaf

tfie faitKfnf S)iscipfe of St. Vincent de $aut9

tfie devoted Son of St. (fosepn Cafasantius,

tfie zeabus $isnop of &ontremoG,

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raised to tfie J^rcfiiepiscopaf See of St. Jjnionine

in tile no6[e city of ^Florence,
c&fRere our great and glorious Carmefite Saint

c&as Born, Cived, and died,

and Wnere fier sacred Remains, stiff incorrupt^

are venerated,

tKis fflor^

is respectfutty and affect ionatefy dedicated
6y tfie translator,

ntonlo I?olepi.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE DEDICATION.

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TRANSLATION OF LETTER OF MONS* MISTRANGELO,
ACCEPTING THE DEDICATION.

(Rev. Antonio Isoleri, Ap. Miss.,

Rector of the New St. M. M. De-Pazzfs Italian Church,

710 Montrose {formerly Marriott ) Street, Philadelphia, Pa. , U. S. A.

Yen. and (Dearest Friend :

I return endless thanks to you for

your loving thought of dedicating to me your translation of the
"Life of St. Mary Magdalen (De-fpazzi."

(By this new token of good=will not only do you tighten the
sweet bonds of the old friendship which bind me to you, but you
compel me from henceforth to address special prayers to the
Seraphic Florentine Virgin, that she may bless and prosper
your apostolic labors in that Italian Church dedicated to her
glorious name.

This I shall do with a sense of gratitude, and, prostrated
at the altar where the Saint, among the lilies and the roses,
seems still to rest in the arms of the angels after one of her
paradisiacal ecstasies, I will beseech her to smile upon you from
heaven, to protect those people who venerate and love her so
much, and to embalm, with the perfume of her virtues, the
hearts of all, enamoring all of Jesus Christ.

And these very pious but poor (Religious, so often relieved in
their poverty by the generous charity of (Rev. A. Isoleri, will
unite with me in prayers and good wishes and will obtain
for you, from the Lord, a very ample reward.

Whilst wishing you every heavenly blessing, I again
tender to you the most lively thanks for the undeserved honor
you are doing me, and I again declare myself, with sentiments
of loving esteem,

Your most devoted

* ALFONSO MARIA MISTRANGELO,

Archbishop.
Florence, March ist, igoo.

THE TRANSLATOR TO THE READER.

I undertake the translation of " The Life and Works of St. Mary
Magdalen De-Pazzi," by the Rev. Placid o Fabrini, for the honor of God
and of his servant, St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi ; and, chiefly, to obtain,
through her intercession, two graces — one of which is, that I may be
able to build a new church under her invocation, to replace the present
one, which is old, small, and poorly constructed.1

May the necessary light and strength be given to me, so that I
shall succeed in accomplishing what I now begin in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

With all but a certainty of not being able to do full justice to the
original, and without reflecting on the judgment of translators and
publishers, or calling their taste into question, and much less with
a view to making comparisons between Saints, but mindful only of
A Kempis' advice : " Noli etiam inquirere nee disputare de meritis
Sanctorum, quis alio sit sanctior, aut quis major fuerit in regno co3lo-
rum" (L/ib. iii, cap. Iviii, 2) — "Do not inquire nor dispute about the
merits of the Saints, which of them is more holy than the other, or
which is the greater in the kingdom of heaven;" — I may be allowed
to state here that many Lives of Saints/ have of late been translated from
the Italian and other languages into English, and published in this
country, which are not half so interesting or edifying as, I confidently
hope, this will be found to be, not only by Religious, but by all Christians.

Once for all, I beg an indulgent judgment of this translation and
its poor English, in view of the good object and the good will employed
to secure it. The original is certainly grand ; and, did we but know
that another pen was, or soon would be, at work translating it, we
would immediately drop our own, thank the Lord, and repent of our
presumption.2

1 The work of building the new church, a new parochial house, and a school,
together with the constantly increasing work imposed by the extraordinary tide of
immigration, compelled the interruption of this translation for several years ; whilst what
was done of it could only be done now and then, at long intervals. The church having
been completed — one of the graces asked— we have endeavored to complete the work
and publish it, in fulfillment of our intention and vow. (1898.)

2 And, had the magnificent edition of "The Life and Ecstasies of St. M. M. De-P."
by the Sisters of her Order and Monastery, come out sooner, we would, without doubt,
have given it the preference. It was issued, Florence, 1893.

7

8 THE TRANSLATOR TO THE READER.

We earnestly hope that persons living in the world — Protestants
as well as Catholics — besides Religious, will read this Life, because we
are firmly convinced that it will do all of them some good. They will
find in it much to admire, much to edify them. There is something
for all to imitate. Through it, our dissenting brethren will know our
religion better, and, let us hope, like it more. Who knows, but that
such a grand tableau of Catholic sanctity as is presented to them in the
Life of St. M. M. De-P., who lived at a time when " the utter degeneracy
and corruption" of the Catholic Church was so loudly proclaimed and
made a by-word and a pretext for a notable and noble part of Catholic
Europe to separate from her bosom, may not only win their admiration,
but also draw them into the fold, to become, as their forefathers were,
children of that Church which alone is the Mother of Saints, which
alone can lead them to salvation ; so that they, one day, may sing with
us : u Quam dilecta tabernacula tua, Domine virtutum ! concupiscit et
deficit anima mea in atria Domini" — " How lovely are thy tabernacles,
O Lord of Hosts ! my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the
Lord " (Ps. Ixxxiii).

ANTONIO ISOLERI, AP. Miss.,

Rector of St. M. M. De.PSs Italian Church.
PHILADELPHIA, July ist, 1881.

INTRODUCTION.

In consequence of many requests for the " Life of St. Mary Mag
dalen De-Pazzi," which could not be met on account of the scarcity of
copies still extant,1 the importance of supplying this want was felt by
many, and some were about to have another edition issued, when, being
spoken to by one of them, I, though the least skilled in the literary
art, very gladly undertook with all possible speed to write a work so
dear to my heart.

Repeating faithfully all that is believed to have been done by the
Saint, gathering all that the writers of her life said that is interesting,
and bringing to light unedited documents, with notes for their better
understanding, I hope to have satisfied the desire not only of devout
persons, but of those who will value this as an historical work.

I will say, moreover, that, as all the lives of Saints embrace two
parts — the one that we may imitate and the other admire — therefore
their publication tends principally to produce these two relative effects,
the second of which is a consequence of the first. If we read them
without having in us at least a portion of that foundation from which
they were reared to the apex of virtue, the wonderful part especially
will become for us the mysterious volume under seal which human
wisdom will try to penetrate in vain. Here is the school of the Gospel,
here is the science of God ; and, to profit by it, one must approach it
with a humble and pure heart. The proud and worldly man finds in
it all impossibility, all darkness, and in his wickedness and ignorance
he sometimes goes so far as to deny that God could be so good as to
communicate Himself to His creatures in a manner so wonderful. L,et
us read with faith and humility the achievements of those who knew
how to sanctify their lives ; let us walk with them along the path of
virtue, and then we will not wonder at the prodigious blessings God
granted them. The Gospel in practice, the gifts of God as a reward ;
behold all in the lives of the Saints.

For the first, in all the lives of the Saints we find something to
learn, no matter what our social position is. True virtue is common to

1 In ten years I could not procure a copy of this "Life" in English, except a very
small sketch taken from Butler's "Lives of Saints," printed by Henry McGrath,
Philadelphia, and the loan of the Life of our Saint by Father Cepari, an English edition
out of print. — Note of the Translator.

9

10 INTRODUCTION.

all. From the example of St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi, not only per
sons who, like her, live consecrated to God in the cloister, but all others,
can derive benefit. Model of sanctity, she was a teacher of it, and by
her example encouraged it in all states of life. Separated from the
world, buried in her monastery, she teaches that Religion, having appar
ently in view the happiness of the life to come, promotes at the same
time in the best way the happiness of the temporal life. As a sufficient
proof of the efficacy of her example, it will suffice to point out the pecul
iar characteristic by which she is distinguished even among the most
perfect souls — that of her most ardent desire to suffer, which made her
so often repeat, " Non mori, sed pati" — "Let me suffer and not die." Our
utmost care is to avoid the sufferings of our mortal career, but as they
are inevitable, our distress and — in the sight of God — often our faults,
too, are doubled by our being at permanent war with ourselves. Man is
born to suffer, as birds to fly. His life on earth is a contrast, a combat,
a struggle. As man gets strong and able to carry his cross, he advances
equally in perfection. The cross is the seal of virtue. Thus, our Saint
renounced every delight, not only of earth, but also of heaven. No
adversity could trouble her ; nay, the more the pain, the greater the joy
of her heart ; so that, having vanquished the world and conquered the
flesh, she did not see nor know aught but her God crucified, for whom
she became enraptured with love. Oh ! if but a spark of that divine
love which filled her would penetrate our hearts, how much more justly
would we value the vanities of the world and the ignominies of the
cross ! But our self-love is too strong an obstacle ; let us divest our
selves of some of it, at least, to please God ; and He, being so solicitous
for our welfare, will not fail to give us a foretaste of the sweetness and
amiability of the science of the Saints ; by progressing in which our
intellect will apprehend those ideas and immutable hopes which acquire
no value from human conversations, depend not upon a passing opinion,
suit all needs and circumstances, the days of prosperity and those of
adversity, .and, being at once our encouragement and our guide, they
alone form the hero of humanity. Profane histories give us but deeds
of ambition, of despotism, based nearly always on the ruin of others ;
whilst Religion shows us, in her Saints, the triumph of sacrificing
self for the benefit of others. We will see in our Saint, how, having
attained to the sublime observance of the first precept, " Love God
above everything," she knew with equal perfection how to fulfill the
second, which is like to it, "Love thy neighbor as thyself" Always
seeing in her neighbor the image and the child of God, she fulfilled one
precept by the practice of the other. There is no better argument than
this by which to know the true lovers of God. While this is an indis-

INTRODUCTION. 1 1

pensable duty for us all, it must at the same time be admitted tliat the
fulfilling of it is oftentimes very hard, and demands of us magnanimous
sacrifices. That neighbor whom we must love as ourselves, is not infre
quently an indiscreet person, turning upon us the malice of his tongue ;
an odious rival, raising himself at our expense ; a false friend, who
betrays our confidence ; perhaps our neighbors are impious men, who
live by doing harm daily to their fellow-men. And we must love
them ; — this is the new commandment which Jesus Christ sanctioned
by His death on the cross. Our obligation is binding, and the fulfilling
of it is all the law. From which it will evidently appear how impor
tant is the reading of this history, which offers the most valuable
stimulus to practice these virtues, and thus to attain perfect rectitude
of spirit.

In the second place, there were very many wonderful traits in
St. M. M. De-P. She might be called, with good reason, the Seraphic,
the Ecstatic of the Carmel, as her spirit was almost continually rapt
in ecstasy and led to contemplate and enjoy the most sublime perfec
tions of the Godhead. Now, Christian admiration for this must pro
ceed from a state of the soul excited by lively faith in the all-powerful
goodness of God, who operates in a supernatural manner on the nothing
ness of the human creature. From this will spring a greater fervor to
adore, serve, and love so good a God. No one should doubt the truth of
the marvelous things contained in this book, as I will relate neither fact
nor saying which has not been examined in the processes of her beati
fication and canonization ; and so the conscience of all believers may be
at rest. The wonderful graces obtained afterwards, and herein narrated,
have been examined and approved by learned theologians deputed to
investigate by ecclesiastical superiors. This should be sufficient to
secure the assent of every prudent man. It may be well to add here,
that the Saint, being very near death, asserted that " all she had said in
ecstasy or privately, or related to the Sisters under obedience, had been
the pure action of the Holy Ghost, not interspersed with anything of
her own interest." The truth of this assertion appears even on the
strength of human reasoning alone. In fact, a maiden who knew no
more than what was needed by a simple nun, could not have explained
the most sublime mysteries of our holy faith with such profound doc
trine as she did, unless directed immediately by supernatural light. If,
in reading, you sometimes find repeated in one part what has already
been said in another, it must be observed that, in the Life, all those
ecstasies were related which it did not seem proper to separate. Some
were, in the order of the history, hinted at, which are afterwards related
more at length in the Works. As the Saint had different ecstasies on

12 INTRODUCTION.

the same subjects, it is probable that she said the same or similar things
several times. The ecstasies are faithfully described as spoken or related
by the Saint. The periods interposed denote the longer or shorter
pauses she made during the spiritual excesses. In this book will also
be found some revelations she had, contrary to the opinions of some
theologians, which discordance need not surprise, because private reve
lations have no more weight than a mere opinion. Such is the judg
ment of the Catholic Church on the revelations of the Saints ; so that
the Church never intends to raise them, with her approbation, above
probability. And I here profess my particular submission to the
same Church, fully complying with the Bull of the Sovereign Pontiff
Urban VIII in regard to the virtues, miracles, and everything else
superhuman of which mention is made in this book. •

The letters of St. M. M. De-P. which are appended, are scarce in
number, because the Saint was very much opposed to receiving and
answering letters. She experienced great aversion to entering into
confidential relations, even spiritually, with any person whatsoever ;
and when she brought herself to write, she was induced thereto by
obedience to her superiors. But the few letters we have breathe the
fire of divine love into the soul, and are in themselves rich with the
best and most efficacious lessons. In the simplicity of their style they
secretly bear the mark of the unction of the Holy Ghost, and work
miraculous changes in the hearts of their readers. Finally, one can see
in them the character of her who composed them, and the fervor of her
who wrote them.

The entire book is divided into two volumes : the first contains the
L,ife and Miracles of the Saint ; the second, all the Works, that is,
those productions of her spirit which we find in existence. Read
these pages, faithful Christian, to instruct thyself in piety and to excite
thy heart to devotion towards a Saint noble by blood, nobler by virtue,
simple by study, but very learned in the school of the spirit ; to whom
her most adorable Spouse, Jesus Christ, was a teacher. Here, reader,
thou wilt find all that is necessary to fulfill those duties which every one
owes to God, his neighbor, and himself. Practice with fidelity these
useful teachings, and thou wilt become just, humane, charitable, a good
citizen, and a fervent Christian. L,ive up to the exhortations given by
St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi, and to what she herself practiced, and
thou wilt be happy on earth and blessed in heaven.

P. FABRINI.

The Life of St. Mary Magdalen De-PattL

CHAPTER L

OF THE PARENTS, BIRTH, AND INFANCY OF
ST. MARY MAGDALEN.

JN the city of Florence, prolific and happy mother of children
praiseworthy for all kinds of virtue, two most noble fami
lies, the De-Pazzi and the Buondelmonti, enjoy a most
honorable rank for antiquity and nobility of blood, because
for many centuries they have counted among their ancestors
men remarkable in arms and letters. In the year of our
Lord 1559, these two families were united by the marriage
of Camillo di Geri De-Pazzi and Maria di Lorenzo Buon
delmonti ; and as they were of equal nobility of blood, so were they
also similar in nobility of mind and love of Christian piety. They
lived in the perfect harmony of conjugal affection, without any quarrel
on account of domestic differences. They honored one another with
reciprocal respect, and foremost in the economy of their family was the
piety and the fulfillment of all duties to God which they exacted from
their servants, and the benevolence they always exhibited towards each
and all of them. On account of their goodness, the nobility of their
conduct, and the affability of their conversation, they were not only
beloved by their servants, but honored as models by the other families
in Florence. In fact, from their house were banished plays and worldly
pastimes ; frequenting the sacraments on all festivals was commanded ;
uniting together to hear the word of God and visiting the churches
were the usual employments of that devout family. It pleased God that
from such pious parents a child should be born who would shed im
mortal lustre on her parentage ; the splendor of whose lofty sanctity
increased the glory of the fatherland ; and who is now a star of primary
magnitude in the illustrious Carmelite Order. Even during preg
nancy her mother had reason to foresee what precious fruit she was to
give to the world ; because she never felt the labors and annoyances
usually inseparable from that state. Thus peacefully progressing in it
to perfection, on the 2d of April, 1566, she happily gave birth to the

13

14 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

seraphic virgin Mary Magdalen, who, the following day, was born again
spiritually unto God by holy baptism in the Oratory of St. John the
Baptist in Florence. The sponsors were Pandolfo Strozzi and Fiammetta
Minorbetti, both Florentine nobles. The name of Catherine was given
to the child, and perhaps not without a divine dispensation ; because,
in celestial favors and virtuous deeds, she was to be very much like
St. Catherine of Siena, towards whom she had a particular devotion
all her life. Soon after the birth of the child, the mother began to
notice the excellent character of Catherine, as during her infancy she
caused none of the trouble which nearly all children give to those who
nurse them ; nay, her mother felt as much delight in doing this as if she
were feeding an angel in the flesh. In all this the mother used to take
great pleasure, and justly so ; she was wont to speak of it to her rela
tions and other persons, who have left formal testimony of it. As the
little girl was happily developing, the nature of her character manifested
itself in the best and rarest ways. One could easily guess, even at that
early age, what she would be when adult. She had a most beautiful
mind and a singular brilliancy of talent. This was not joined, though —
as often happens — to a certain impulsiveness of nature that finds vent
in insolence of manners, affected gestures, and the continuous motion
of the body, but was rather coupled with such modesty and meekness
as to make her appear serious and majestic, like a lady of advanced age.
She was the admiration of all ; and the girls of her condition, especially,
who sometimes used to be with her, had great respect for her, and pro
posed her to themselves as an example. Within sight of her, they did
not dare to be discomposed nor engage in puerile plays. The charm of
her face attracted the love of all those who beheld her, as they could
perceive in it the angelic purity of her heart. In conversation she
was affable with all, ready to do the will of others whenever it would
not be improper for her state. She repaid with fervent thankfulness all
favors offered her, and was to all — even the servants — reverent,
obedient, and humble. But the most wonderful thing at that early age
was the inclination she manifested, almost from her cradle, for spiritual
and divine things. Though incapable of understanding them, yet she
used very much to enjoy hearing anybody talking about them ; and,
therefore, when her mother being in company with devout persons used
to make spiritual discourses, she would not part from her a moment,
as she was thirsty to drink at the fountain of the divine word. As this
word fell not in vain into her soul, she began even then to find
her delight in retirement and solitude; so that very often she with
drew all alone to some corner as if to meditate on the things of God.
She had scarcely learned the rudiments of the Christian doctrine ; in
fact, she was barely able to read, when she found in an office of the
Blessed Virgin, the Symbol of St. Athanasius, an abridgment of the
sublime mysteries of our faith, and especially of the Most Holy Trinity.
Though she did not understand the words, except, as she afterwards
said, by a certain spiritual instinct with which her affection was
entranced, she read it all with great devotion ; and, judging it to be
an object of inestimable value, with the greatest joy she brought
it to her mother to read. She was struck with admiration, and

Not without Divine dispensation, the name of Catherine was given
her at Baptism (page 14).

''

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 15

could see that God even then prepared her tender child for under
standing the most sublime mysteries. Not to do anything at ran
dom, but with cafe and reflection, would have been a very rare thing
for a child of her age ; and yet this was truly her deportment in all, and
none of those inattentions so frequent to children happened her.
Whatever savored of virtue was in her superior to her age ; to religious
and spiritual persons she would present herself with such questions on
the divine attributes that all who heard her were greatly astonished. . On
account of her fervent and assiduous care in learning the mysteries of
the Christian faith, and of her excellent disposition of heart and
intellect, she became so possessed of the knowledge of it that even in
her infancy she could teach others the most difficult doctrines found in
the catechism of our religion. She also manifested at that tender age
the beginning of her holy vocation to the religious state, because she
rejoiced exceedingly, in reciting her prayers, to veil and dress herself as
well as she could in the costume of a nun. She was but seven years
old when her mind was opened to the celestial light ; in her heart,
before the love of the world appeared for an instant, the love of
God had already kindled in an ineffable manner that immense flame,
which, destroying by degrees the earthly life, was one day to lead her
soul to heaven as a seraph. She progressed rapidly in the exercise of
prayer ; she would give herself to it always with new pleasure ; and she
was truly looking for every opportunity quietly to withdraw to the feet
of Jesus. As if she had learned by experience that all worldly conver
sations were a great impediment to union with God, she would avoid,
as much as possible, talking with anybody on vain subjects. Often,
when her people looked for her in the halls and chambers of the palace,
she was found behind some door or bedstead, or in the most remote parts
of the household, with a blissful mien, all rapt in God. Moreover, she
knew so well how to guide herself in the practice of prayer that the
most select teacher of the spiritual life would not have known how to
better instruct her. In fact, as could be gathered from her discourses,
it was known afterwards that, in praying during her childhood, she had
practiced the most exact rules which have been suggested by teachers
of the spiritual life. She would remove from around herself whatever
might be the cause of wandering or distraction ; select the most obscure,
retired, and suitable corner of the house ; determine the time, and propc <
to herself the end of her prayer ; and in it, as she afterwards said, ^
purely sought God in order to learn to fulfill His holy will. 1 c
severance was not wanting to her prayer, as nothing contrary or pleasir t
could divert her from the daily hours which she had proposed to herself
for praying. Even in time of aridity of spirit, which is a very strong
temptation and hard to overcome, she was perfectly unalterable till the
completion of her holy purpose. Prayer, therefore, had become her
most dear delight and her principal entertainment. Thus is God some
times wont to plant in some of His chosen souls these precocious flowers,
as a prelude of the fruits of that extraordinary grace which, at the proper
time, He intends to grant them ; so that those who see these flowers
may divine the future, and understand afterwards that from Him alone
so great a virtue has proceeded.

l6 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

Catherine having persevered in so excellent a disposition till the
age of nine years, Father Andrea De-Rossi, a Jesuit, her mother's
confessor, thought he would take special charge of her, and first gave her
for meditation the Passion of Jesus Christ, appointing for her use the
"Meditations of Father Gasparo Loarte of the Society of Jesus" In
consequence of this direction, she applied herself so constantly to medi
tation on the passion of Jesus that she would long remain in it motion
less, and almost ecstatic ; though sometimes during her prayer she was
not able to avoid open and noisy places, she was not dispirited in conse
quence thereof, but, being all absorbed in God, she seemed to see or
hear nothing. In order to remove in advance all causes of distraction,
she selected the early morning to pray ; so that at this tender age she
arose daily from her bed, at a very early hour, and, for fear her
mother might forbid her, she earnestly recommended herself to the
servant-maids, who were the witnesses of her great diligence, begging
them very affectionately not to reveal it to her mother or anybody else.
She was so constant and well ordered in the prosecution of this holy
exercise that she would spend in it one hour every morning, and never
omitted it all the time she lived in the world. When, on account of her
infirm health, she had to take iron, and, in consequence of this medicine,
some exercise, as soon as she would return to her seclusion she would
eagerly give herself to prayer. In a word, a day did not pass without
her employing three or four hours in prayer, and very often she would
pass entire nights in meditation and prayer. If, during them, nature
demanded the comfort of sleep, she would take this at very short inter
vals, and on her knees, with her head leaning on the bed. Rare example
and lesson to those who give up or shorten their prayer for every light
cause!

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

CHAPTER II

HOW FROM HER INFANCY SHE MANIFESTED HATRED FOR HERSELF
AND LOVE FOR HER NEIGHBOR.

|HE passion of Jesus Christ kindled in Catherine, though yet
of tender age, an ardent wish to suffer for her Saviour. It
was a wonder to see so small a creature, delicate and gentle,
a strong warrior against her flesh, showing so much reso
lution to subject it to suffering, which is so inimical and
repugnant to nature. She regarded as just the suffer
ings of the senses ; and, as children invent plays and
amusements by the instinct of their age, so she would find
new ways of afflicting her delicate limbs. Her ardent desire for suffering
was not appeased by the discipline — a common instrument of penance —
but, in addition, she would make crowns and girdles out of the thorny
stems of orange trees, and, imitating the passion of Jesus, she would
encircle with them her head and sides. Thus encircled and crowned,
she would lie in bed at night, not sleeping, but bitterly suffering. She
frowned at homage, and complained greatly of being too much
caressed. She would beg the servant-maids, with tender love, not to
warm her bed, even in the most rigid winter, from which she would
sometimes secretly remove the mattress in order to sleep on the bare
straw bed. Her mother noticing this, and, fearing that her daughter's
delicate constitution might suffer too much, made her sleep in her own
bed, in order to prevent her from practicing such penances. The tem
perance she practiced in taking nourishment was so exceedingly great,
that it might better be called a rigorous and continuous abstinence.
She never asked for anything, as children are wont to do, but was
satisfied with whatever was given her ; and she took so little of it that
to her mother, who watched her, it seemed impossible that she could
sustain herself. She knew so well how to mortify her appetite for food,
which is generally a master over children, that at such a tender age,
being invited during the day to take fruits or other things, she would
not do it, except when compelled in obedience, to her mother. If it had
not been for the continual vigilance of others, in order to make her take
the, .ordinary nourishment, she would have utterly extinguished, with

1 8 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

her abstinences and fasts, that little vigor of health which nature
granted her. When not yet a religious, as we will see, she was placed
by her parents in the monastery of St. Giovannino in Via S. Gallo of
Florence, where the Gerosolimitan Sisters are. Here having an oppor
tunity, with holy liberty, to satisfy her love by abstinences, she was
reduced to such weakness that she scarcely had sufficient strength to
sew. Thus the holy child, with voluntary sufferings, trained herself to
combat the devil, hating her own flesh, according to the Gospel teaching.
Being asked in her mature age why in her childhood she had treated
her body so severely, she answered that she did it in order to render
herself better able to pray, as he who hates not himself cannot remain
united with God, and cannot be the disciple of Jesus Christ. Thus did
she speak, because she was enlightened by celestial light. And that this
was the truth, is proved by the charity which she felt very intensely for
her neighbor. She looked upon the poverty and miseries of others as her
own. She melted with compassion, and felt moved with sorrow, when
she could not assist the poor, whom she regarded as dear to her Jesus,
and she looked upon them with as great a love as if they had come out
with her from her mother's womb. She reflected, even then, that the
charity which is practiced with some sacrifice of necessary things, is
dearer to God ; hence the breakfast and the afternoon luncheon which
her mother gave her, as a child, she, with great joy, would distribute to
the poor, and particularly to the poor prisoners, when, on her way to
school, she passed in front of the prisons. Therefore, her parents,
seeing how she delighted in works of mercy, when poor people came to
the door, gave them the alms through her hands. Her charity did not
stop at the visible object of bodily miseries ; but, with greater compassion,
penetrating to the spirit, so great was the zeal she felt for the souls of
others that she would inconsolably weep for the sins she saw committed,
and for those in particular which offended the charity of her neighbor.
In fact, having once heard words of grave offense to a neighbor, she
passed the whole night without taking rest, buried in grief and tears.
She wished so ardemly to benefit souls, that at such a childish age her
greatest delight was to teach children the Pater Noster, the Ave Maria,
and the Credo, with the rudiments of our faith. Whilst other children
were highly pleased to go from the cities to the villas for sport, she
also was delighted, but from a higher motive ; that is, because she went
there to find scope to satisfy her charity by giving religious instruction
to the children of the peasants. This was her entertainment at the
villas ; and on feast-days she would gather the little girls of her age, not
to play together, but to teach them Christian doctrine. If they were
poor, too, she would also practice material charity, and assist them,
with her mother's permission, in the necessities of life — now with
food, now with clothing. She was so much attached to these works
of charity, that when she had to return to the city she felt so sorry
that she could not be consoled. Her parents noticed this, and having
compassion for so holy an affliction, and wishing to satisfy such pious
sentiments, they brought. to Florence a little daughter of one of their
farmers, called Giovanna. They raised this child in their own palace
in company with Catherine, who continued, to her great delight, to give

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 1 9

her instructions in the Christian faith. As true love is communicative
and operative, and such was that of Catherine, not satisfied with
instilling in her neighbors that good which perfects the intellect, but
desiring also to promote that which perfects the will, she tried to draw
not only Giovanna, but also the other servant-maids of the house, to
pray with her. To induce them to do it, she had no regard for her
nobility, nor the delicacy of her constitution, nor for her youthful age,
nor the weakness of her body ; but, made strong and vigorous by
the zeal she felt for the good of souls, she would undertake to do house
work with them, help to sweep the rooms, to make the beds, and provide
the needs of the house, so that the sooner they were free from these
occupations the sooner they might with her employ the remaining time
in prayer. Thus God united to her charity manifest signs of that great
humility which she was to practice.

20

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER III.

OF HER DEVOTION TOWARDS THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND OF
HER FIRST COMMUNION.

N the heart of Catherine, inflamed with divine love, God
infused so high an esteem of the Sacrament of the Altar,
that, before being humanly invited to it, she longed with
holy impatience to be admitted to feed upon the Bread of
angels. Her age prevented her from receiving in reality
her Jesus in the Sacrament; but, with the most intense
desire and most ardent love, she rejoiced in the hope of
one day obtaining such a grace, and then, as she could do
nothing else, she took pleasure in seeing others receive the most sacred
Eucharist. She, therefore, almost importuned her mother to take her,
not only on festivals of obligation, but also on those days which, with
out obligation, are solemnized by the piety of the faithful. It is hard to
say with how much devotion, on her knees, she would fix her eyes for
the whole of the morning on those persons who received Holy Com
munion ; and, almost carried away by holy envy, she would sometimes
complain because so great a gift of Heaven was not granted her. On
her mother's returning home from Holy Communion, Catherine, as a
butterfly in love with the light of the heavenly Spouse, would not sepa
rate herself from her, but, scenting with the soul the suavity and spirit
ual fragrance of Jesus in the Sacrament, who feeds among the lilies
(pascitur inter lilia\ she would draw nearer than usual to her and would
not part. When questioned by her mother, she would answer : " Because
you smell of Jesus. "

To her intense love for this most divine Sacrament was joined a
supreme reverence, with which she honored the same with unspeakable
humility. One feast-day morning she was late, and, the weather being
rainy and the streets muddy, her parents requested her to take breakfast
before going to Mass and then to go in a carriage ; but when she heard
it she burst into bitter weeping, saying it did not behoove her to go to
see Jesus in such a manner. In order to quiet her, it was necessary to
let her go to the church fasting and on foot. She would beg her spiritual
director and her mother with importunity and ardent desire to grant her
the consolation of being admitted to the Holy Communion ; hence the
director, Father Andrea De-Rossi, knowing that her desire emanated

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 21

from a knowledge and affection superior to her age (ten years), promised
to satisfy her on the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin.
With how much and with what heavenly joy Catherine received this
promise, no one whose heart is not as thirsty for Jesus as hers was can
imagine. In all the days which preceded the great solemnity she thought
of nothing but the Blessed Sacrament ; she never tired speaking of it.
She was always in prayer; she was always practicing penance, chastising
herself, an innocent virgin, with fasts. All the years of her life might
be called years of innocence, of piety, and a continual preparation for
Holy Communion. Finally, the happy day for Catherine burst forth—
the day longed for by her fervent heart, on which, for the first time, at
the age of ten years, she received the most holy Sacrament in the Church
of St. Giovannino, then belonging to the Fathers of the Society of
Jesus. God not permitting Himself to be surpassed in love by His
creature, the greater the wish and devout preparation of this innocent
soul, the greater, no doubt, was the consolation with which He filled
her soul in Holy Communion, and such was the sweetness she experi
enced in that sacramental union with God that she used to say she never
felt a greater in her lifetime. Having tasted and felt how sweet and
delicious her Lord in this Sacrament was, she became inflamed with a
parching thirst often to approach that prodigious fountain of grace, and
therefore her spiritual father, seeing in her such great virtue and knowl
edge superior to her age, properly decided to satisfy her every eight days.
God having granted her holy wish, she would await the whole week,
with holy sighs and tears of tender love, the happy day for her soul ;
and every day — nay, every hour — seemed to her a very long time to pass
in order to arrive at the moment of her spiritual consolation. Such was
her spiritual delight, her heart being filled by Holy Communion with so
many gifts of celestial comfort, she felt as though melting with love,
and, this holy fervor showing in her exterior appearance, she be
came a source of wonder and edification to all those who beheld her
so collected and devout.

22

THE UFK AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER IV.

SHE MAKES A VOW OF VIRGINITY AND EXPERIENCES AN EXCESS

OF DIVINE LOVE.

SOUIy so pure could not but love purity and innocence ; she
knew by supernatural light that the Divine Bridegroom
attracted to Himself pure souls with the precious odor of
purity and innocence ; therefore purity would wonderfully
enter into her heart whenever she beheld it. Being once
asked why she so tenderly caressed the little children to
whom she taught the Christian doctrine at the villa/ she
answered that she did so on account of the stainless purity
she perceived in them ; as, not having yet committed sin, they had not
stained the white robe of baptismal innocence, and because they repre
sented the Child Jesus of that age. From the same love of purity she
ardently desired the monastic state, and even from her childhood she
had a resolute and constant will to make it her choice. Enlightened by
celestial light and drawn by the high idea she had of holy purity, she
thought the offering of perpetual virginity a gift she ought to make to
God. On Holy Thursday of the year of our salvation 1576, the tenth
of her age (wonderful thing !), meditating on the infinite love with which
the Eternal Father loved the world, in giving to it His only-begotten Son,
who left Himself, His body and blood, His soul and Divinity, as a food for
us miserable mortals, inflamed with the desire of responding with gratitude
to so great a love, she thought of making to God the worthiest return
possible for her to make. After receiving Holy Communion, the same
day, full of divine love, she consecrated her virginity to God by a per
petual vow, and in the same act she plighted her faith and word to her
beloved and loving Jesus, that she would have no other spouse but Him.
Jesus accepted the offer, and in token of it placed on her finger a most
precious ring, which she then neither saw nor felt, but afterwards it
was shown her by her Divine Spouse.

If the heart of this tender virgin was ever burning with love for
Jesus, in this act she felt such flames of it that, unable to contain them
within her breast, she was soon compelled to manifest them exteriorly,
and this happened on the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, whilst she was
at the villa with her mother. Her spirit being overcome by an excess
of divine love, she felt within such strong ardor and faintness that she

Though only a little girl as yet, she guestions her mother and the
Religious concerning the mysteries of our faith ( page 15 ).

22

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 23

was excited almost to frenzy, could find no place to rest, could not speak a
word, and seemed almost overwhelmed on all sides. Her mother, believ
ing her to be afflicted with some bodily ailment, did not omit to apply
convenient remedies, but human skill was not and could not be of any
benefit to her ; and well did the sufferer know it ; but she said nothing of
it to her mother, both through an exercise of humility and for greater
correspondence to the love of her Spouse, who was pleased to relieve
her on the following day, when her body, yet tender, could not have
endured any more. Yet God willed, for a useful manifestation of the
truth, that she once would declare the supernatural cause of this. This
was done in a case similar to it, which happened her several years later,
when she was already clothed in the habit of a Religious, and, being
rapt unto ecstasy, she spoke these precious words: "O Love, what Thou
makest me feel now is like unto what Thou didst communicate to me
on the feast of him who so loved the cross,1 when I was not yet dedi
cated to Thee in the sacred Religion,2 and my mother thought it was
bodily sickness. " Which being made known to the mother, and she
comparing one case with the other, testified to Sister Vangelista del
Giocondo and other nuns, that what had happened her daughter at the
villa was from a supernatural cause. If she had not declared it before
then with such positive certainty, she was none the less convinced of it,
since God was not slow in offering to her mind other indications by
which to repute her daughter as privileged by Heaven.

1 St. Andrew.

2 " Religion " here, as in many other places in this book, is used in the sense of
41 Religious Order. "—Note of the Translator.

24 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER V.

PLACED IN THE MONASTERY OF ST. GIOVANNINO OF THE KNIGHTS
OF MALTA, SHE GIVES EDIFICATION TO ALL THOSE NUNS.

|T was the year 1580, when the most serene Grand Duke of
Tuscany, Francis de Medici I, chose as commissary of the
city of Cortona, Camillo De-Pazzi, the father of Catherine.
It was customary to put in such an office a Florentine noble
whose wisdom would equal the splendor of his birth, that
he might secure loyal veneration from the people. And the
gifts and virtues of Camillo were to amply correspond to
the expectation entertained of him. Therefore, having to
go there and remain for the course of a year, he resolved to take his
family with him, Catherine excepted, whom, not without a heavenly
disposition, he entrusted to the care of Sister Selvaggia Morelli, her
cousin, a nun held in high esteem in the monastery of St. Giovannino
of the Knights of Malta. We will not say how Catherine rejoiced at
such a determination on her father's part, whilst, on account of her greal
care in removing everything that might distract her from her union with
God, she certainly saw in it the greatest convenience to attend, while in
the monastery, to prayer and other devout exercises. The nuns also
rejoiced in their turn, and, on account of the high opinion of the virtue in
which they heard she was generally held, they eagerly wished to enjoy
the experience of it. Our Catherine then entered the monastery, and her
first thought was to obtain permission to freely receive the sacred Bread
of angels on all feasts of obligation. This she did while there, with
unalterable frequency and always with lively devotion. Two affections
were enkindled in her heart by this exercise — one of charity, the other
of humility; by charity, she fervently wished that all souls would be
partakers of the blessings she found and enjoyed in the sacramental
union with God ; and by humility, in order not to be singular (as in that
monastery such frequenting of the sacraments was unusual), she procured
and proceeded with such pious exhortations and examples that some
nuns at first, and then all, followed her habit constantly.

The eye of her mother (who, being too jealous of her temporal good,
watched her assiduously) not being on her, though in the monastery
somebody was always at her side and she also had more opportunity
to converse than at the parental house, she cared for nothing but what
could promote the perfection of her spirit. Therefore, letting loose the
rein of her desire to pray continually, she became so absorbed in this
holy exercise that, besides the regular times, during which she often

ST. MARY MAGDALEN D^-PAZZI. $5

retired to the choir, she would employ three hours regularly every day in
it — two in the morning and one in the evening ; so that, between these
and the interrupted times, the nuns saw that most of the day was spent
by her in mental prayer. But her fervid spirit did not feel sufficiently
satisfied, and therefore even during the night she often left her bed and
prostrated herself before God in prayer. On account of her pressing
requests to her cousin and teacher, she was often permitted to go at night
to the choir for Matins with the other nuns, and when refused she arose
at the same hour, and, hidden in her room, she knelt at the foot of the
bed and prayed till the morning bell called all to hear the Holy Mass.
Her meditations were in a special manner on the current gospels. She
took (as those nuns testified), on Saturday evening, the gospel for the fol
lowing Sunday, and, extracting some points from it, made her medita
tions on them during the following week. The same nuns also left tes
timony to the effect that they saw her several times so absorbed in
meditation that she seemed to them an angel of paradise. They saw
her as if alienated from her senses, her face red as a rose, with her eyes
as resplendent as luminous stars; and especially her remaining thus, firm
and fixed like a statue for whole hours on her knees, without moving
her eyes, caused them great surprise. Whilst they were in the choir
reciting the Divine Office, such was her modesty and composure that
the nuns, some in wonder, others with delight, and many out of the
devotion it would cause them to see her, could not take their eyes away
from her.

To make herself even better able to perform this holy exercise of
prayer, profiting here also by the great advantage the monastery offered
her, as she doubled her prayers, so she also did her penances. Besides
taking short rest, on account of the long time employed in meditating,
she frequently slept on the bare straw bed, which, though she tried to
hide it from her, was often noticed by her guardian. Zealous in her
abstinence, Catherine multiplied her fasts and disciplines so that she was
reduced to a state of bad health, and yet she was so much opposed to any
bodily comfort that she was never sad, except when by the direction
of her teacher she was compelled to take something more than the ordi
nary nourishment.

As in the world she had given edification to many by her virtues, so
also in the monastery she was, by the same, a source of great edification
to the Religious, who particularly , besides the other things aforesaid, gave
testimony of the retirement, modesty, charity, obedience, and humility
which they noticed in her. In fact, as they relate, she was never found
with the other girls that were kept there or with the younger members
of the monastery for recreations and pastimes, but she was only seen
with the others in the choir, in places of devotion, or near the sick, and
sometimes with some whose conversation seemed to her more spiritual,
or with those whom she knew to be better disposed to become more
retired and devout. She spoke of spiritual things only, and she
studied always to excite the nuns to the religious observance, and
all the persons in the monastery to the frequenting of the sacra
ments. She was never heard to utter a word of vanity, of levity, or idle
ness ; she was never seen excited or restless, but always benign, serious,

26 THE LIFE AND WORKS OK

and meek. Not a hint of murmuring or lamentation came from her
lips, and though, on account of her retired and singular mode of living,
particularly her frequenting the sacraments, which, at first, was not
approved by some, she sometimes encountered opposition, yet she took
nothing in evil part, but always covered the faults of others, and with
unalterable firmness she advanced in her devout exercises. In visiting the
sick of the monastery she would manifest toward them the greatest affec
tion, exhort them with sweet and charitable words, read spiritual books
to them, encourage them to patience and other virtues, and administer
to them all those charitable offices which were permitted and suitable
for her ; and thus she occupied her recreation time. Hence, any one
looking for Catherine, not finding her in her cell or in the choir, would
go straight to the bedside of the sick, sure to find her there. As for the
obedience she practiced in this monastery, her teacher asserted, with
formal testimony, that Catherine never showed any repugnance to do
anything that would be commanded her, but she did everything with
promptness and rectitude. Not only to her teacher, but also to all the
other nuns, she showed great veneration and sincere obedience. On
account of her great love of charity and humility, she desired to be
employed in the lowest and most menial occupations of the monastery;
hence, she seemed to feel happy when she was permitted to do some
servile work. Because of the low esteem in which she held herself,
and the respect she had for the religious state,- she considered herself un
worthy of living with the nuns ; and sometimes she excused her keeping
at a distance by saying to them : " You are the brides of Jesus, by your
religious profession ; but I am not, and therefore I am not worthy to
stay with you."

The nuns, seeing these rare qualities and singular virtues, con
ceived the thought that she was not an ordinary creature, but another
St. Gertrude or St. Catherine of Siena, as they asserted that they had
never known a girl endowed with so much goodness ; therefore, such
was their respect for her, that some did not dare to converse with her,
others never had enough of seeing and talking with her, and all very
much desired that she would become a nun in their monastery. This
desire was so ardent that, knowing her to be opposed to it, because she
was inclined to choose a more severe rule, they declared themselves
ready to allow her to lead them to that observance and mode of life
which would better please her ; but, humble as she was, she considered
herself wholly inadequate for such an undertaking, and, prudently,
would not rest assured of the uncertain success of such promises.
Therefore, her parents, having returned from Cortona, brought her back
again to the ancestral residence, after fifteen months' stay in the above-
named monastery. The good nuns were exceedingly disconsolate on
account of the departure of a soul so chosen and favored of God, and
lamented because Heaven had not permitted them to enjoy her as their
sister ; but, at the same time, they remained particularly edified by the
example of her piety and holy conversation, and very much pleased at
having had among them, during that time, a youthful virgin who, in
the first dawn of her life, so to say, gave promise of a noonday of sub
lime sanctity.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZl. 27

CHAPTER VI

SHE DESIRES TO RECEIVE THE RELIGIOUS HABIT, AND OVERCOMES

THE DIFFICULTIES WITH WHICH SHE MEETS. SHE CHOOSES THE

MONASTERY, ENTERS IT ON TRIAL, AND, GIVING PROOF OF

HER VIRTUES, IS RECEIVED THEREIN TO BECOME A NUN.

JHE holy impatience of this chosen bride of the L,ord would
not permit her to refrain long from stealing away from the
world, to live permanently in the religious cloister, united
to her Divine Spouse. Even from her infancy, God had
inspired her with the desire to part from the world by be
coming a Religious ; though she could not then understand
the difference between living in the world and in the monas
tery. Corresponding faithfully to this inspiration by the
very devout life which we have thus far described, she had deserved that
God would show her, with a brighter light, the value of religious life, and,
with greater impulses to her heart, excite her to make up her mind to
embrace it. Hence, in the past she had prudently concealed this desire
under a careful silence, as a thing that could not be accomplished at so
tender an age, speaking of it only to her spiritual father, to whom she
made everything clear. Now, however, she felt ready to execute the
Divine will, which corresponded so closely to her own, and she looked
for an opportune moment in which to speak of her desire to her parents.
Though they could not but have taken notice of such a disposition in
their child, yet, she being their only daughter, and being charmed
by her character, her features, and her noble manners, they had abso
lutely made up their minds to have her married. Without anything
else, without even asking her once about it, they suggested now one
party and now another, as he seemed to suit better the virtues of their
daughter and the nobility and wealth of the family. In the meantime,
to cure her of the weakness caused by the harshness of her penances
and the austerity of her fastings, they conducted her to the villa, where
her health was restored by the change of air, restorative medicines, and
nutritious food. Her parents, well pleased at it, returned with her to
Florence, and renewed their endeavors towards hastening a convenient
occasion for the proposed marriage. The mother of the marchioness,
dexterously and without showing her the motive, stimulated her, from

2 THE LIKE AND WORKS OF

time to time, to exquisiteness, refinement, and sprightliness, both in her
manners and in her dress, only giving as reasons therefor, civility,
honor, family, and the like, which, nevertheless, savored of the world.
She, though unwillingly, out of respect and obedience to her mother,
would, to some extent, concur in these things. But God wanted her
for a different purpose, and wanted her soon. Hence, Catherine was no
longer capable of resisting the fire of Divine love, which consumed her
with the desire of becoming a nun. She was now sixteen, and, as she
noticed a deep silence on her parents' part, she became prudently suspi
cious lest they would not allow her to become a nun, as she was passing
the age when, according to custom, girls are wont to consecrate them
selves to God. Therefore she opened her heart to her spiritual director,
and felt, in consequence of his approval, more certain of the will of God
in this, her insuperable tendency.

Not long afterwards she went to her father and humbly manifested
to him her deliberate intention of becoming a nun, and begged him,
as well as she could, to be pleased with it — nay, to help her to carry it
out. Her father, although a good Christian, yet being great according
to the world and penetrated by the maxims of high society, could not
sufficiently appreciate those greater joys the soul and heart of his
daughter were seeking after. He consequently looked no further than
to the high standing of his family, and ahnost got angry at the determi
nation announced to him by Catherine. He told her abruptly that he
was far from seconding her, at which she, finding herself in danger
either of disobeying her father or becoming unworthy of God, replied
with great courage, but not without dutiful respect, that she would
rather let her head be cut off than give up her idea of becoming a nunr
Her father, seeing such determination, did not dare to repeat his refusal,
but sent Catherine to her mother, who, knowing her disposition bettei
and having more intercourse with her, he thought, would perhaps dis
suade her, or at least obtain some delay which might serve to do away
altogether with her fixed purpose. But everything was useless, as Cath
erine, being assured of God's will in it, had already put away every
human affection and consideration. She rightly perceived that her
mother's tenderness would be a greater obstacle to her than her father's
opposition, hence she tried with all strength to overcome it, making use
of these two means : First, she had recourse to prayer, fervently begging
of the Lord to be pleased to take from her mother's heart so much love
for her, or diminish it so that it would not be an impediment to the
entire fulfillment of the heavenly decrees concerning her, especially in
the selecting of her state of life; and, after this, she began to uproot
this maternal love, practicing every art, without failing in the honor and
respect due her, so that her mother might detach her affection from her.
She not only failed to please her in ornamenting and dressing herself
as her mother wished, but she avoided also, as much as she could, con
versing with her. When she was obliged to be in society, she did not
deport herself with her previous courtesy and cheerfulness, but with
studied rusticity of manner and always appeared afflicted and melancholy.
Her mother did not yet understand from whence so great a change pro
ceeded, and therefore did everything to make her affable and pleasant as

ST. MARY MAGDALKN DE-PAZZI. 2Q

before. She caressed her with increased tenderness and showed herself
affectionate to her; she conversed on spiritual subjects according to her
tastes, questioned her about her meditations, and used all possible means
to make her again cheerful and content. Catherine resisted with virtuous
indifference all these new incitements of the maternal love, which in
effect tended to imprison her more safely in the world; for which, as
she afterwards confessed to her nuns, she suffered doubly, both because
this proceeding was contrary to her inclination and the nature of her
heart, and because, loving her mother tenderly, she regretted very much
having to grieve her in this manner — hence she lived in a state of
permanent combat with herself. She also feared that some other sudden
storm might intervene to oppose her firm purpose of consecrating
herself to God in the monastery. Her delicate health again succumbed,
because of so great and so many distresses. But the painful experiment
God wanted His beloved servant to undergo, before introducing her into
the garden of consolation, was near its end. In fact, her mother, having
found out the cause of the unusual behavior of Catherine and her suffer
ings, conferred about it with the same spiritual father, and received .from
him the confirmation of the truth. She became solicitous of affording
her daughter the most valid comfort. She soon called her to herself,
and when she modestly approached, ignorant of the cause for which her
mother summoned her, she did not dare to raise her eyes from the
ground, always fearing more trouble to her greatly afflicted soul. The
marchioness did not remain sitting as usual ; but, as soon as her daughter
approached her, she arose to embrace her; and, in a rather subdued
tone, assured her that the idea of giving her in marriage was
altogether gone from her mind and that of her father. Nay, they were
determined fully to second her desire of becoming a nun. If she would
think about the choice of the monastery, they would please her in every
thing. She would thus become guarantrix for her husband's will, as,
since he had entrusted this affair to her, she felt sure no opposition
would come from him. It is not easy to imagine how pleased Catherine
was at this news, and how warmly she thanked God in her heart for it.
In all her actions she manifested the contentment of her spirit. She
uttered a few words of gratitude in answer to her mother, but, being
overcome by interior delight, she was unable to express her joy ; and,
having taken leave, she retired to a dark chamber, where, with sighs
and tears of tenderness, she gave way somewhat to the great joy by
which she felt herself overwhelmed. Then, taking a respite, she showed
herself to the family all courteous and pleasant. At the same time, she
seriously applied herself to making the choice of the monastery that
would be most convenient for her ; and as neither by the coaxings of
her parents, nor the attachments of the world, nor human regrets, had she
been shaken or stopped in her holy resolution, so, in this choice, she
would only look to Heaven for light. She had recourse to prayer, the
usual manner of the Saints in holding converse with God ; she doubled
her spiritual exercises, sure means of securing the alliance of Heaven, in
order to know the place in which God wanted her heart to serve Him.
Such being her tendency, and the better to assure herself of the Divine
will, she resolved to enter a monastery where community life would be

30 THE LIFE AND WORKS OK

observed in retirement and complete religious observance. She wished
to be a nun ; but of facts and works ; for though yet in the world, she
well understood of how great importance for all in a religious order
these requisites are. Looking at all the monasteries then existing in
Florence, and noting in each the reasons for and against, and very studi
ously looking for the best, her thoughts rested on three of them.
Speaking of it to her spiritual father, she mentioned them to him with
her reasons. One was the monastery of the Crocetta ; another, of St.
Clara ; and the third, of Santa Maria degli Angeli. In the first, under the
patronage of the glorious St. Dominic, the nuns never see, and are never
seen by, the seculars ; in the second, under the rule of St. Francis, they
were living in the greatest poverty and asperity of penances ; and in
the last one particular attention was paid to interior perfection, and
they received Holy Communion daily — a rare thing in those times. Her
desires were captivated by every one of these holy places. She also
greatly desired to withdraw bodily from the world as much as possible,
as she was entirely detached therefrom in her soul ; and, therefore, she
wished very much never to see, nor to be seen by, the world. To live
a despised and abject life, and to suf • for God's love, was a very strong
craving of her heart, which would .iave wished to suffer everything
for the sake of her crucified Spouse. Her hunger for the eucharistic
food attracted her with inexpressible force, because by means of it she
could foster, with her Divine Spouse, the purity of the soul, and with
paradisiacal husbandry adorn it with various flowers of religious per
fection. Thus were the affections of Catherine divided ; and continuing
to present the reasons for each to her spiritual director, it seemed as if
all the religious requirements she loved and admired in the other two
were united and combined in the monastery of St. Maria degli Angeli;
hence, without any further delay, moved also by a ray of heavenly light,
she resolved to consecrate herself entirely to God in the last named.
The community life which was practiced in very rigorous perfection,
obliging the members to live in true religious poverty and subjection;
the retirement from the gratings and the few visits from seculars ; the
assiduous application of mind to celestial things, a primary characteristic
of the Carmelite Order ; the frequenting of the Most Holy Sacrament,
by which those holy souls became adorned with singular perfections,
rendered the above monastery — degli Angeli — a model for virgins dedi
cated to the Lord God.

Having told her parents of the choice of the monastery, they
applied themselves to the obtaining of due approbation from the
ordinary; and this obtained, and having prepared everything else for
the purpose, they took her directly to Santa Maria degli Angeli, in
Borgo San Frediano, in order that she might there make her first trial
for the space of ten days, according to the practice and the order of the
superiors. Being introduced there, she was welcomed with great
pleasure by the nuns. According to their rules, she was given in charge
of those who dealt with the strangers — that is, those whose office it was
to guard and direct the seculars who entered on trial. They, watching
very closely the qualities, the inclinations, the words, and the deport
ment of Catherine, soon wondered at the perfections with which she

Being rapt in ecstasy at a very tender age, she is discovered by
her parents (page 15).

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 3!

was enriched, and esteemed hers to be more than ordinary goodness.
From the modesty of her discourse, the gravity of her behavior, the
humility and purity of her bearing, the respect and submission she
manifested for all, they were able to bear the best testimony to the
confessor and the rest of the nuns that she was not only worthy and
deserving of their habit, but they should very much wish and yearn for
the acquisition of a girl of such noble and distinct prerogatives of blood,
education, and most perfect virtues. They related having observed in
her in a very special manner the excessive desire to become a Religions,
and her stability and assiduous frequency at prayer. Some remarked
that while praying she would not move in the least, and that from such
immobility it was easy to perceive how highly fixed in God her soul
was, and how she was already wonderfully habituated to it. In the mon
astery, as under the paternal roof, she would arise early in the morning
and immediately go to the choir, to remain there for one hour in serious
meditation; and throughout the day, whenever possible, she would
very gladly return to the same exercise. From her constancy in prayer,
and from the light she manifested about the spiritual life, and from her
esteem for the religious exercises, the mother — Sister Vangelista del
Giocondo — was induced to make an experiment on the .spirit of
Catherine, who, although a girl of only sixteen years, an age when
nature generally shows more liveliness, yet seemed so advanced in
perfection as to be a woman in years. To ascertain whether this
assiduity at prayer proceeded from her own will, or was joined to
some human complacency or sensible delight, she told her that if she
would receive the habit of a nun she could not recite the prayers
she did when secular, and that she would be bound to conform with the
others to the practices of the community. To which she promptly
replied: " Mother, this does not trouble me in the least, because I know
that all things done in obedience to religion are prayers." The vener
able mother had no reply to make, and was sufficiently informed of how
enlightened in the ways of God this good child was, and how detached
from her own will, and, therefore, most suitable for religion. Catherine
gave also a solemn proof of her mortification, and the mastership she
held over her senses and her whole self in this regard. One day, finding
herself with the other nuns in the workhall, some things suddenly fell,
making so great a noise that all the nuns were greatly frightened, shf
alone did not even raise her head or turn her eyes to see what hnr
happened, thus restraining in an exemplary manner the curiosity c
apprehension which generally, in such cases, possesses every person,
especially if a woman and inexperienced on account of her youthful
age. Therefore, because of all these exterior qualities, which were
a sure earnest of her sublime interior perfection, the nuns, by unani
mous consent, not only judged her worthy of their order, but eagerly
wished for her, and regarded it as a most singular favor of Heaven to
have her among them. Therefore, all hailed her with great joy as
their sister in Jesus Christ, who would receive the veil in their mon
astery, at the time they would appoint, with the permission of their
superiors.

In these few days Catherine observed diligently the orders and the

32 "THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

mode of life of the monastery, read the rules and the constitution, and
accurately took notice of how they were obeyed. She was so well sat
isfied and pleased with everything that she could not wish for anything
more; and having conceived so high an opinion of the nuns that she
reputed herself unworthy to live with them, she said, through her
humility, that she would have been pleased to be the lowest menial in the
monastery. The nuns therefore longing for her, and she being highly
pleased with their goodness and exactitude in obeying the rules, she
would have become a nun at once, but by the disposition of her parents
and the prudent custom of the monastery she returned for a short time
to her father's palace.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

33

CHAPTER VIL

HOW SHE DESPISED BODILY ORNAMENTS AND THE VANITIES
OF THE WORLD.

.THERINE DE-PAZZI was pointed out by mothers of fami
lies as a model to their daughters, when they were carried away
and hallucinated by vanity, whilst, through her simple way
of dressing, ornaments of a higher value were shining out.
Virtue puts on no other dress than that of modesty and
simplicity, because it has no need of borrowed lustre. In
those who desire to follow Jesus Christ the wish to orna
ment the person cannot exist. Dress was introduced as a
shield from the severity of the seasons and as a help to modesty. To
depart from this principle, immovably based on natural rectitude, is
to fall into illusion and hypocrisy ; and it is for this reason that the grand
world of to-day appears to be and is in truth a theatre of falsehoods.
Those polishings in the habiliment, especially in the female sex; those
insatiable yearnings for the fashions, for the newest and best style; those
anvcted tendernesses and wantonnesses in words and actions, are but the
signs of a deceitful and foolish spirit. The audacity with which some
cover themselves with a seducing display, even in the church, which
is the asylum of innocence and piety, where everything inspires com
punction and reminds us of the solemn promises made at our baptism —
this is, to say the least, an indication of corruption, unless we call it an
indication of a faith nearly extinguished. Hence, before leaving the
secular life of Catherine, let noble maids especially consider for a while
how she acted in it, and let them not bring forth, as a pretext for not
imitating her, new reasons of social convenience; because a Christian's
principles admit of no exception of person and submit not to the whim
sical changes of the world.

Catherine, then, imbued with the supreme truth, even from her
childhood always greatly abhorred everything that savored of worldly
ornament — always refused to adorn herself with jewels, rich apparel,
embellishment of face, and affected hair-dressing ; and in nothing was
she so restive in obeying her mother as in fixing her hair and dressing
as became her. She loved a modest and simple appearance, would not
have silk dresses, nor too showy ones. She put on costumes of inferior
quality, without any ornament, and always appeared as a poor working
girl rather than a rich gentlewoman. Neither did she care to go abroad

34 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

to festivals, or tournaments, or other shows of the world; nay, she so
wearied of them that, although her residence was at the corner called
De-Pazzi, where the horse-races were held, and though it was at these
times rilled with gentlewomen who wished to see them, she knew so well
how to mortify herself that during all the time she was a secular she
never once looked out of the window on such a noisy occasion— a thing
truly worthy of admiration in a girl. The abuse of the world in adorn
ing the new brides of Jesus Christ like earthly brides with excessive arti
fices, and taking them, as to a scene of pomp, to promenades, vain enter
tainments, theatres, and other worldly allurements was despised by Cath
erine, who used to say she could not understand how girls could have a
desire to be religious and brides of Jesus, and yet enjoy seeing themselves
and being seen vainly ornamented. So, when her mother, soon after tak
ing her from the monastery of St. Giovannino de' Cavalieri, made her a
white silk dress, even though it was simple in style and without any
gold or silver, she had great difficulty in persuading Catherine to put it
on. All the day on which, out of obedience to her mother, she wore it,
she wept copiously. On being asked the reason, she answered : " Because
it becomes not a girl who dedicates herself to God, to dress so as to
become conspicuous in the eyes of His creatures. " And she would add no
other ornament to it afterwards. If she condescended to keep that silk
dress, it was because of its simplicity of workmanship, and because in
its whiteness it offered her the symbol of holy purity. From this fact
originated the custom of those girls expecting to receive the habit in
her order, who, in the interval when they remain in the world before
entering the cloister, absolutely refuse vain ornaments, dressing in a
modest manner, and appear, the day they exchange the world's goods
for the blessed poverty of Religion, before the priest in a white dress
similar to that which was presented to their holy mother when she
received the habit of the Carmelite Religious. Neither did she distract
herself in secular visits nor feed on worldly sceneries before she entered
the sacred enclosure, but only visited religious places and devout
persons, to whose prayers she earnestly recommended herself. And
curiosity about the furnishings, or anxiety about those things which of
necessity she had to bring along, did not distract her. She left the care
of all this to her mother, without even selecting or seeing anything, her
thought and her affection being solely occupied in hastening her with
drawal from the world, wholly to unite herself to her Spouse Jesus.
Let this be an example also to those girls who, in becoming nuns,
though they have a real vocation for the life, show themselves anxious
to have an abundant and suitable equipment, either for their own
pleasure or lest they appear more humble than others in Religion.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

35

CHAPTER VIIL

HOW SHE ENTERED THE MONASTERY PERMANENTLY, AND WITH

WHAT PREPARATION AND DEVOTION SHE THERE

RECEIVED THE HABIT OF A NUN.

|N the Saturday previous to the First Sunday in Advent, in
the year 1582, which was the first day of December, Cath
erine bade that long-wished-for adieu to the world and
entered, rejoicing, the centre of her rest, her paradise on
earth — the monastery of St. Maria degli Angel i, of the
Sacred Order of the Carmel, in Borgo San Frediano, which
was afterwards transferred, as it exists to-day, to the Borgo
di Pinti.1 Before leaving her father's house, she knelt at her
parents' feet, asking forgiveness of them for anything displeasing to them
she might have done during the whole of her tender life, and earnestly
begged that they would impart to her their parental blessing. With tears
of true love, she was blessed — not forgiven, though, for she had never
been guilty of any fault. She also took leave of her other relations and
some persons who, on account of particular friendship, frequently visited
the house, and, finally, of all the servants of the house, speaking to every
one words of respect, of humility, of prayer. In this last separation the
strength of grace and divine love became more manifest in her. Amidst
the tears of her parents and the manifestations of sorrow from her rela
tions and the servants, Catherine bore herself with such fortitude of spirit
and firmness of countenance, that she seemed not to feel it. This could
not have been the case with that heart so gentle and loving, if the
strength of divine charity had not wholly mastered her.

Thus having secured victory over all earthly affections, she was
received by the nuns at this second and final entrance with those senti
ments with which they were inspired by the general opinion they enter
tained of her and the trial they had made of her singular virtues during
the few days of her first stay with them. For some reason, not unusual
in such cases, she did not take the religious habit until the following
January. In the meantime, God desired from her another proof of her
contempt for the vanities of the world. Whilst she, with all the affec
tion and pleasure of her heart, was preparing to be received into the Order,

1 Public improvements have since made necessary its removal to the Piazza Savona
rola, \vhere a new monastery has been built.

36 THE UFE AND WORKS OF

she had to endure the temptation of vainglory. Her parents, as good
Christians, and in order not to oppose the divine will, so clearly mani
fested, submitted to the sacrifice, most painful to their hearts, of conse
crating their only daughter forever to God. They had entertained such
delightful hopes of seeing her married into one of the most prominent
families and one day hearing her praised as a model among the mothers
of families and the most noble matrons. Ordinarily, the perfection of
the secular, especially if persons of wealth, does not go beyond the letter
of the divine precepts. The spirit which animates the word is not pene
trated by them. The evangelical counsels are a superfluity for them.
Yet, would to God that all would fulfill to the letter what is prescribed
by the divine precepts !

Catherine's parents still cherished an ardent love for her, hence her
absence caused them great pain ; arid, in some measure to alleviate their
grief, they resolved to have her portrait at home. The prioress of the
monastery, on being asked, did not oppose a wish so natural to the
hearts of a father and mother, so that, appointing the day, the famous
painter, Santi di Tito, repaired to the monastery in order to paint Cath
erine's portrait. When she heard this, as she was penetrated deeply by
the spirit of perfection, she cried exceedingly, and would in no way
submit to it. Being asked the reason for such a firm refusal, she replied:
"I came out of the world to return to it no more, and not to be seen in
these dresses again." It would have been impossible to obtain her con
sent had not the orders of the superioress and her father confessor
obliged her to give it. Through obedience alone, then, she submitted
to it. During the time that Santi di Tito, with his colors, was bringing
her back to the midst of the world, she was constantly weeping and
lamenting with these words of humility : u Is it possible that of a creature
so vile as I am, and of a handful of dust, a remembrance will remain in
the world?" This occurrence, however, did not distract her from the
fervent preparation in which she was then occupied for the reception of
the sacred habit. Her parents obtained in her portrait the only possible
satisfaction which could be granted to them. They held it very dear,
recommended it to their survivors, and the latter to their successors ; so
that it is preserved even to-day, in the same distinguished family, as a
relic of great veneration, of great glory, and of the truest affection. Of
this family I only said a few words in the beginning, to describe the
it'ition and early education of Catherine; I will not fail to return to
,t at an opportune point with a more extended notice.

Catherine was more and more animated by contempt of the world
and love of God during the days that followed. Until she received the
re^gious habit she remained in the department of strangers, renouncing
the customary pastimes and worldly visits which are permitted in the
monasteries to those who are about to receive the habit of nuns. On
the day before receiving the habit, particularly, she would not go down
to the gratings, and the superioress did not order her to the contrary. She
spent the entire day in fervent prayer, meditating on the great work which,
with sovereign charity, by the goodness of God it was granted her to
undertake. To her relations and others who, out of courtesy or because
of great attachment, came to visit her, she sent a message by the mis-

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 37

tress that such a day was not to be spent at the gratings nor in prattling;
therefore, they had to depart without seeing her. She would not even look
at anything that was sent to her. Having spent the night in spiritual
contemplation rather than in bodily rest, the following morning, with that
fervor and recollection which one can imagine from what we have thus
far narrated, she received sacramentally her Divine Spouse Jesus; and,
remaining immovable and penetrated by a deep feeling of gratitude till
the moment of the sacred ceremony, she experienced in it one of her
dearest consolations — nay, the greatest of her whole life. After the
celebration of Holy Mass by the father confessor of the monastery, Rev.
Agostino Campi, the ceremony of giving the habit was immediately
performed by him, according to the rubrics and the custom of the
Order. The promptness, the joy, the devotion, the sublime affection
that were noticed in Catherine's manner and behavior during this cere
mony drew the admiration and the tenderness of those present, even to
making them shed tears. There was a girl in particular, who, at the
sight, wished immediately to give up worldly ornaments, and, following
Catherine's example, put on the simple religious garb. That this wish
did not proceed from the ordinary volubility of imagination in women,
but really from the impulse of divine grace, which offered to that girl
the means to obtain her own best interest, was shown by the fact that,
shortly afterwards, she became a nun and a companion of Catherine's in
the same habit and monastery.

Though the ceremony was a long one, the newly-made bride never
once turned her eyes to satisfy the natural curiosity of seeing who had come
to the church. She remained so imbued with holy thoughts, that even
to those who assisted her in taking off the secular dress and putting on
the habit given her by the priest, she seemed as if alienated from her
senses. Consequently, they felt an embarrassment in touching her, fear
ing that they would cause her pain by thus distracting her. After she
had become a nun, she said to some of her devout companions that when
the confessor put the crucifix in her hands, the sisters singing " Mihi
absit gloriari nisi in Critce Domini nostri Jesu Chris ti" — u But God for
bid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ "
(Galat. vi, 14) — she felt her soul become united to Jesus with such a force
of love and sweetness of spirit, that it was a miracle that her body did
not succumb from the separation. With a renewal of grateful protesta
tions, of loyal and spiritual offerings, her heart completed this cere
mony with God. Now we shall no more see the maid who had to fight
at least the fickleness of the world and of nobility ; we shall no more
see Catherine, but Sister Mary Magdalen, thus newly baptized and
dressed in a habit wholly of God.

To pursue my object, which is to lead the reader from time to time
to make those reflections which may be profitable to both his mind and
heart, I would like to show here a little of the importance and value
implied in this passing from the world to a religious order. It is of
no use to describe the value and efficacy of this new baptism to worldly
souls, who, if not all, certainly for the most part, regard the religious
vocation as a choice of caprice, of egotism, or, at the best, of a naturally
pious tendency. They do not realize what the effect is to a human soul

38 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

of feeling its body clad in a habit which, in quality, color, shape, uni
formity, in everything, inspires most significant ideas. This total cut
ting off from the world — nay, this stamping on the world — that is, on
all its regards, on all its maxims, its falsehoods, its ribaldries, its abuse
of power ; this finding of oneself protected by four walls, which form the
true home of the Saints, always being a sister or brother to every
body for the love of Jesus Christ, but without any capricious love of
the flesh ; this victory over the three capital enemies of the soul,
which brings back human nature to its true liberty and dignity
— all this is not truly understood except by those whom God has
admitted into a cloister to enjoy such privileges. I can only repeat
to them St. Paul's exhortation — namely, worthily to proceed in their
vocation lest they render it useless. The people of the world, in pur
suing with hatred those who follow the Gospel, may only do so on account
of their own wickedness, according to the solemn sentence of Jesus
Christ.

Having made some instruments of penance, she put them on when
going to bed ( page 17).

33

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 39

CHAPTER IX.

IN HOW SAINTLY A MANNER SHE SPENT HER NOVITIATE, AND

HOW DURING THAT TIME SHE FELT AN EXCESS

OF DIVINE LOVE.

|F the joy of Mary Magdalen in receiving the religious habit
was great, no less great was the perfection and the sanctity
which she manifested during her novitiate, to the amaze
ment of all the nuns and her spiritual father, who acknowl
edged her as a perfect religious, even from the beginning of
her probation. Sister Victoria Contugi, a nun of no ordi
nary virtue, used to say that Sister Maria Maddalena should
have been her mistress rather than her no vice, as she noticed
in her so great a perfection that most willingly she would have subjected
herself to her as a disciple. On the day of her taking the habit, Mary
Magdalen fell at the feet of this sister — her mistress — and, in an act of
humility and sincere affection, wholly resigned herself to her will. She
told her that she gave herself to her as dead, and, therefore, she should do
with her what she pleased, because she was most ready to obey her in
everything. She begged of her to humiliate and mortify her, without
any consideration, whenever God inspired her to do so. She afterwards
renewed this act of humble and entire resignation into the hands of
Sister Vangelista del Giocondo, who succeeded said Sister Victoria in the
office of mistress of novices. Sister Mary Magdalen, even before
entering the novitiate or being instructed in it by cloistered persons,
well knew, as we have hinted above, that religious perfection does not
consist in protracting prayers, multiplying penances and fasts, or dis
tinguishing oneself in works of singular virtues, but rather in the exact
observance of the rules, and the faithful execution of everything else
prescribed by the voice of the superiors, as the most safe oracle of the
divine will. Therefore, not only did she never oppose any orders of her
mistresses — not only did she most promptly obey their every wish, but
rather most judiciously tried to anticipate their will, so that often she
was more prompt in obeying than they in signifying their intention. As
to the faultlessness with which she obeyed her mistresses of the novitiate,
suffice it to say that, no matter what diligence they employed, they as
serted that they could not find out the things which Mary Magdalen
liked or those for which she felt repugnance. She was young and of
such an ingenuous character as to easily manifest itself, especially when
under the assiduous vigilance of persons whose duty it was to watch the
simplest word from those novices under their care. During the
novitiate, too, the simplest tendencies are remarked ; therefore, one can
judge whether more can be said of the renouncement and submission of

4O THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

our Saint's will. And to this submission is chiefly due the observance
of the rules, to which she conformed even to being scrupulous. There
was not a rule among them, even trifling as it might be, that she did
not appreciate or obey ; and, with equal perfection, she venerated and
observed also those practices of supererogation she found in use in the
community. Every day she read and studied some point of the rules
and constitution of the monastery, that she might fully and firmly keep
it in her memory. For greater facility, she would often ask her com
panions to remind her of the duties and customs of their order, and if'
they noticed her failing, to use with her the great charity of warning
and correcting her. On account of her evident and exceeding fondness
for prayer, her mistress would sometimes give her liberty to retire to
pray at those times when the novices had to be occupied in manual
exercises. She would not use such permission, protesting that she
would rather be employed in any work determined by obedience than in
the most sublime contemplation of her own choice ; because, in fulfilling
the obligation of religion and obedience, she was sure of doing the will
of God ; but not so in the prayers and other exercises, though good and
holy, chosen by her own will. She said : " If I would pray well at the
times permitted by the religion it would not be little. " Lowly and menial
occupations were her delight, and she was the first to submit to the most
laborious ones. The more austere and heavy they were, the lighter and
sweeter they seemed to her. As a combined exercise of humility and
charity to the lay-novices who were especially entrusted with keeping
the novitiate in order, she used to try and lighten the weight of their
labor. Sometimes she would secretly take the linens they had to cleanse,
and wash them ; sometimes she would sweep the corridors, the dormitory,
and the other places of the novitiate for them ; sometimes she would
clean the lamps and make the beds ; in a word, she would do everything
she could to help others, considering herself the least of all, greatly rejoicing
to become a servant to the others. With this same feeling of charity and
humility she preferred to converse with the novices who were most igno
rant and least talented, choosing for herself the lowest place among them.
Even here she judged herself the most lowly and least fit for Religion.
She tried to learn something to her benefit from all, and would accept
advice and admonition from everyone, not only writh serenity, but with acts
of thanksgiving and gratitude ; and to obtain it, she very often prayerfully
urged her mistress and even her companions in the novitiate. She always
showed herself undisturbed in her peace, and, as she wished all the
others to be so, she became comfort, help, and consolation to them in
their times of sadness. What she observed in others she always inter
preted in the best sense ; and, if sometimes anybody's defect would
appear too evident, she rather used the oil of gentleness and prudence
than the vinegar of backbiting. Her conversation was such an
efficacious spiritual lesson to the other novices — her discourses, illus
trated by ideas of the eternal life, penetrated the heart so deeply, and her
words were uttered with such fiery zeal, that she inflamed the lily- like
hearts of those virgins with a great love for God, and an ardent desire
to please Him. The novitiate thus became like a paradise of angels on
earth. This light and these flames of St. Mary Magdalen dazzled

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 41

almost instantaneously and miraculously the hearts of those girls who
used to go and see the monastery with a desire of becoming nuns.
Without knowing her, they became attached to her, regarding her as
an angel in 'the flesh, and wished not to have to part from her any
more. The virtues of the other novices emanated in some measure from
the perfection of St. Mary Magdalen — let us freely call her Saint, as she
already truly was, even from that time — hence, she shone above all ; and
everybody, with the greatest veneration, stood gazing at her example.
These efficacious influences, then, had their origin in that familiarity
with prayer by which she remained united to God in love, so strongly
and constantly, that no occurrence, however strange, could attract
her from it for the shortest time. If, awhile ago, we saw her pre
ferring manual work to the retirement of prayer, we must not think
that on that account she would be distracted from the holy exercise of
interior recollection. She well knew how to couple the active with the
contemplative life. Moreover, she was so industrious in cultivating her
spirit that, having completed the manual and the charitable exercises,
she would spend in prayer all the remaining time which was freely
given to the novices for their recreation. Not satisfied with this, she
would steal some hours from her sleep. Having no permission from
her mistress to arise in the night at unusual hours, she would place her
self on her knees on the bed, in which position she was often found,
and there, hiding her singular devotion, and rejoicing more in being than
only appearing pious and devout, would give vent in some manner to that
divine flame which was burning within her breast, and of which, even
from this time of her novitiate, God willed that all the nuns should have
an undoubted evidence. During Advent, one evening, this incident
occurred : Our Saint having remained alone in the oratory, after the prayers
in company with the novices, she became so red and inflamed in the face
that she seemed to be burning with a most scorching fever, and, as if
frantic, could find no means to calm herself. She unfastened and vio
lently tore her dress, as if to make an opening for the interior fire to escape,
seeming to be consumed and melting away. On the mistress' noticing it,
and calling the other nuns, they were all. highly surprised at such a
novelty. They could not at first imagine the cause of it; but some of
them, recalling to mind what the lady marchioness had told them as
having happened to her daughter at the villa, and hearing her now pro
nouncing some divine words, became assured that this was an excess of
the love of God. Interruptedly and with tears, she exclaimed in these
words : " O Love, how much offended Thou art ! How much offended
Thou art, O Love ! O Love, Thou art not known nor loved!" And in
this, loving complaint, she moaned with anguish for the offenses com
mitted against God. Forced by obedience to her mistress to enter the
bed, having already been led perhaps unconsciously to the dormi
tory, she said: "Will it be possible that I enter this bed whilst God
is so grievously offended? O Love, I will do it through obedience;"
and thus she obeyed. For about two hours she experienced this excess
of love, and then she resumed her natural state. The love of God is a
fire which burns, but does not consume; unlike our passions, which
afford fuel to a fire that will consume ourselves and all we possess.

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

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CHAPTER X.

I

SHE WISHES TO MAKE HER PROFESSION AND FORETELLS SHE WILL

DO IT ALONE, AND IN THE MEANTIME SHE GIVES

PROOF OF GREAT VIRTUE IN SICKNESS.

OTHING was wanting to her heart for a perfect union with
God, both on account of her never-stained purity, and of
the vow of virginity she made when yet a secular, and also
on account of the entire consecration of herself in the act
by which, stripping herself of the garb of t^e world, she
put on that of a nun. She sighed, nevertheless, with holy
impatience for the time when she would also formally bind
herself to God with the loving tie of holy vows in the
religious profession. She complained of the length of the time, and
measured with loving weariness the passing of the year, because she did
not wish to wait till the end of it. It happened that, eight months after
her taking the habit, some novices — her companions — were about to
make their religious profession, and she asked with great earnest
ness that she might be admitted with them to witness the solemnity
of this act. This being refused her, she grieved much over it,
thinking through her humility, or rather the poor opinion she
entertained of herself, that the superiors refused her the dispensation
because they found her unworthy of this favor. She was so much
imbued with this idea that she did not dare to speak or converse with
these professed sisters, who remained for some time in the novitiate, as
was the custom. So highly did she venerate the religions state, that
she excused herself in these short but sincerely humble and affectionate
words : (t You are the brides of Jesus, and I do not deserve to be one."
Her heart had no rest until she was assured that the ordinary superiors
had no authority to dispense in such cases. She then patiently awaited
the end of her spiritual probation. When this came, she imagined
in advance how she, too, would have enjoyed this happy lot ; but God
wished to try still further this, His beloved bride, and seemed delighted
in leading her longer by the road of desire. There being no other
novices ready to profess, the superioresses thought they had better join
this one to the others ; and in this way the profession of Sister Mary
Magdalen was deferred. In quietly submitting herself to this post
ponement she had to perform one of those acts which are by no means

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 43

easy for those who are not possessed of the most pure and divine love.
But she, inspired by God Himself, who wanted to try her further, said to
the prioress and to the mistress : "I will not make my profession with
the rest ; but 'you will be obliged to have me make it alone, to your
sorrow." The mothers paid no attention to these words, judging them
to proceed from her great desire ; but what followed proved them
to be a most certain prophecy. About the end of March, of the year
1584, nearly two months longer than the year of her probation, on
a Friday morning, the seraphic virgin received a great spiritual con
solation, with infinite bodily torment. She was attacked by a most
violent fever, with chills, and such a severe cough that her breast
seemed about to burst. The nuns feared lest a vein might break ; there
fore, they quickly had recourse to human art, under the direction of
Messer Jacopo Tronconi, a most skillful physician, who immediately
opened the vein and then prescribed some medicine. He used all the
other remedies that his knowledge could suggest to him in the case ;
but the illness obstinately increased and the seraphic patient was con
tinually agitated by the most cruel and dangerous attacks. Eight days
after, being attacked two or three times daily by these pains, the illness
became alarming. The doctor then decided to touch her on the nape
of the neck with a button of fire, which lightened the illness to some
extent, but did not remove it, nor diminish the fever or the cough.
The catarrh increased, and reduced her to such a state that she could not
take any nourishment without great effort, and scarcely had it reached
her stomach before she was taken with a desire to vomit ; and being
unable to give way to it by the pressure of the stomach, she was forced
to send forth cries and shrieks which pierced the ears and hearts of
persons afar off. The physician himself, who was often the witness of
this sad spectacle, feared that some breast vein might burst. He saw
her attacked and overcome by the cough three and four times an hour.
She became unable to lie on the bed, because as soon as she would lie
down she felt smothered ; neither could she stand up, on account of her
weakness. Day and night she suffered ; dressed and sitting -on the same
bed, without rest and without respite.

Forty days had passed since her illness began, and it was still grow
ing worse and more violent. The attending physician agreed with the
nuns to call in for consultation three of the chief doctors of Florence.
These physicians having carefully examined the patient, and prescribed
and applied to her those remedies which, by common consent, they
regarded as the best, seeing their uselessness, became discouraged and
confessed their inability to locate the seat of the disease. In the mean
time, the patient was gradually getting worse, until the twentieth of the
following May. She became then, by a new and strange change,
unable to take anything, not even fluids. If she took but a mouthful
of water, she would faint with pain. Every way, then, being barred
against her support, the physicians themselves despaired of her recovery.
As an extreme experiment, they prescribed for her the water del Tet-
tuccio, which, being taken in a small quantity by the patient for two
mornings, and with the greatest pain, had to be given up. God's
servant was placed in the hands of God, to suffer for three months

44 THE UFK AND WORKS OF

the most severe and cruel sickness. The simplicity of the last remedy
used by the physicians must astonish everybody to-day, when medical
science furnishes better remedies than a natural water. In this we have
an evident proof of the progress of this science, for the reason that
greater study and experience give it new and better acquisitions. Let
us reflect, to our profit, that the same thing cannot be said of the
science of the soul's salvation ; because this, in its principles, excludes
all doubts, all changes and human experiments. It is all heavenly, all
divine, and consequently altogether invariable ; hence, he is not only a
fool and an impious man who attempts to lay hands on it, but he
also is one who pretends to improve it and build it up by substantial
reforms. That Sister Mary Magdalen should continue to live without
nourishment, and so violently sick, seemed entirely supernatural ; but
no less wonderful appeared to be her constancy and firmness, since,
although assailed and oppressed by so many torments, there was never
noticed in her an act or sign of complaint to indicate an impatient
spirit. She always, even during the inevitable sufferings of nature,
kept her usual calmness and grace ; always was most obedient to those
who attended her, and to the physicians, though she did not hope for
health through human skill. Illness is apt to be the thermometer of
one's virtue and the occasion of reporting victory over one's self, because
when the body is weakened and troubled by sickness, the soul is also
more depressed and enervated by it. If by long-continued and strenuous
acts of virtue in the past it has not contracted strong habits and fixed
the will firmly in the love of virtue, the soul is easily overcome and van
quished, both by the weariness and the pains with which it is troubled.
Alas ! most people, far from profiting spiritually by the infirmities of the
body, become worse. This they plainly show afterwards, when they
have recovered, by their sinking deeper into their vices, as if death had
gone far off from them, because they had come out victorious in that com
bat. Sister Mary Magdalen in this illness not only gave proof of full
control over her passions, keeping herself constantly tranquil, but with
an over-abundance of divine love she showed that the torments which
assailed her were like so much fuel placed on the fire of her love for
God, or like the blowing of a strong wind, which kindled more and
more the celestial flame in the recesses of her heart. Every natural
hope of recovery having, therefore, disappeared, and everybody thinking
that only a few days of life were left her, the spiritual father and the
mothers of the monastery, not being willing to let her die without the
advantage of the sacred vows, resolved to admit her alone to the profes
sion, as she had previously with a prophetic, but not understood spirit,
foretold. The seraphic virgin gave thanks to God, who had made use
of such an excruciating sickness to make her enjoy more quickly,
by the tie of the vows, the union with her Divine Spouse. As she was
unable to make her profession in the customary place, and wishing to
do it with all possible reverence and devotion, she implored the nuns
to fix a little bed for her in the choir before the altar of the Blessed
Virgin. This* request was granted her, because of the knowledge she
manifested of the character and importance of this religious undertak
ing. She was taken to the choir on the morning of Trinity Sunday,

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 45

which in that year, 1584, fell on the twenty-seventh day of May. There,
having made her confession to the usual father confessor, Rev. Agos-
tino Campi, and having received Holy Communion from him, with
great animation and fervor she made, at his hands, her regular profession.
What a deluge of celestial graces, what consolation overflowed the inno
cent and seraphic soul of Sister Mary Magdalen in that religious and so-
much-wished-for act cannot be described, because the happiness of souls
that, though traveling on earth, yet are blessed in God's love, cannot
be expressed in words. She herself, when brought back to her bed,
manifested to some extent what new vigor her spirit had derived
from it. She asked as a favor from the nurse that the bed-curtains be
lowered and that she be permitted to rest a while. L,onging more for
the rest of the spirit than that of the body, when she found herself
alone, she became so fixed in the consideration of the grace received
from God, and the union made with Him by means of the holy vows,
that she remained motionless, without being troubled by the cough, and
in deep rest. The nurses, who, of course, had not departed, but had only
placed themselves in a position to notice, from time to time, what she
would do, perceived that, being rapt in divine thoughts, she was alien
ated from her senses. Her countenance had assumed an air of paradise ;
the ashy paleness had given way to a clear, bright color; and her eyes,
flashing and most resplendent, were looking fixedly at an image of the
Crucifix. Being amazed at such a sight, they called in the rest of the
nuns, all of whom greatly marveled, and, becoming at once edified and
moved, gave thanks to the .Divine Goodness who worked so prodigiously
in their dear sister. She remained in that state about two hours, and
then, returning to her senses, again resumed the attenuated and pale
countenance, and again felt the torments of the fever, the cough, and
the pains. This was the first rapture noticed in this ecstatic servant of
the Lord, who was so highly favored by God with a most sublime
knowledge and wonderful frequency of such graces, the effects of which
we shall see at length in the faithful narration of the second volume,
viz. , in the Works of this Saint.

46

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XL

SHE IS CURED OF HER ILLNESS IN A WONDERFUL MANNER BY THE

INTERCESSION OF THE BLESSED MARIA BAGNESI, WHOM SHE

AFTERWARDS SEES GLORIFIED IN HEAVEN, AND FROM

WHOM SHE RECEIVES SUBLIME KNOWLEDGE;

ON WHICH A REMARK IS ADDED.

]HE knowledge of Sister Mary Magdalen's sanctity kept the
hearts of the nuns greatly agitated with the ever-increasing
fear of losing her. Her illness was, from day to day, grow
ing worse, and the strength of the Saint perceptibly dimin
ished. At the beginning of July the obstinate illness
showed not the slightest sign of improvement. It was a
miracle how she continued to live, because she would but
seldom take any nourishment, and then only in very small
quantities and with the greatest difficulty, nay, with a positive effort
of nature. The nuns redoubled their prayers, sighs, and tears, and
practiced some devotions in common that God might be pleased to give
back to them in good health this sister so valuable to them. As the
moment appointed by Divine Providence to work new wonders in this,
His most beloved servant, was approaching, the souls of the nuns who
were to be the witnesses thereof were prepared accordingly. In the year
1577, in Florence, the noWe Maria Bartolomei Bagnesi, a sister of the
Third Order of St. Dominic and illustrious for her sanctity, departed
this life. At the fervent request of the nuns of Santa Maria degli Angel i
the body of the sister was given to them, and, therefore, carried with
great pomp to their monastery. It was deposited in a sarcophagus and
privately kept by them with ever-increasing devotion, until, on account
of the many miracles wrought through her intercession, the great and
glorious Pontiff Pius VII was pleased to raise her to the honors of the
altar, with the title of Blessed. In consequence of this, the sacred
sarcophagus was exposed to public veneration. Then a lay-sister,
named Sister Maria Dorotea, who knew how our Saint venerated the
now Blessed Maria Bagnesi, and how frequently, when in good
health, she visited her sepulchre, made a vow one Friday evening
that, when able, Sister Mary Magdalen would visit the body of the
venerable mother three times, reciting each time three Pater Nosters and
three Ave Marias; and that she, Sister Dorotea, would fast for three

She instructs country youths in the rudiments of the faith, and
also distributes various alms to them (page 18).

46

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 47

Tuesdays, and on the day of the death of the Blessed Maria Bagnesi, and
have three Masses offered in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. She did
not make this vow known to anybody. Not even the Saint knew it
then ; and yet, by disposition of the Divine Goodness, it happened at the
same time, that the ordinary confessor, Rev. Agostino Campi, entered the
monastery to restore the holy patient with the Eucharistic Bread. He
told her that he wished her, when able, to go and visit the body of the
Venerable Sister Maria Bagnesi, together with Sister Veronica, a novice,
and Sister Dorotea, a lay-sister. At these words, as she afterwards
related to the nurse, the Saint suddenly felt the catarrh cease, the cough
stop together with the shortness of breath, and she found herself free
from illness and pain ; so that she promptly, and with a cheerful coun
tenance, answered him : " Yes, Father ; by the grace of God, I will be
able to go." She said nothing then about her feeling healed, perhaps
on account of her deeply-rooted humility, or because she was not suffi
ciently certain of having been favored with such a prodigy. Her con
fessor having left her, and she knowing positively that she had been
restored to health by a supernatural agency, said to the nurse : "I
want you to know that I am cured, and that I will surfer no more cough
or pain; and you will see that taking my dinner will not annoy me."
These words, though pronounced with great energy and firmness,
amazed the nurse, but did not altogether reassure her. The newly-
recovered one, who saw that the moment for glorifying God had arrived,
and who could see the hesitation of spirit in her assistant, added with
an irresistible tone of voice : " Pray, get my dinner ready." It was
ready in a moment ; and it consisted of light soup and cooked fruit.
Whilst formerly, on account of her cough and pain, she could ordinarily
swallow but a small portion of it, and that with the greatest difficulty,
this time — free from pain and without moving herself from side to
side — she ate the little she had as if in perfect health, and hungered
for more. The nurse, raised and lowered her eyes, clasped both
hands, and, as if ashamed of herself, dared not move nor speak. In the
meantime, the confessor having called Sister Dorotea, ordered her,
together with Sister Veronica, to take Sister Mary Magdalen to the
sepulchre of Sister Maria Bagnesi. Imagine how the lay-sister wondered
at the confessor's having the same thought that she had. She acquainted
him on the spot with the vow she had made the evening previous and
renewed the following morning. Knowing nothing yet of the grace
already obtained, she had come with her novice companion in great
faith and with a wonderful coincidence of thought to take the Saint to
the tomb of Sister Maria Bagnesi. But as they approached the bed of
Sister Mary Magdalen, they found they had no longer to deal with a sick
person, because she was full of joy and vigor. As if to presage the
happy news, she opened her arms to the two sisters, and they embraced
one another in the Lord. They afterwards made known the cause of
their coming ; and they saw, to their unspeakable surprise, the Saint arise
immediately from her bed and prepare to join and lead them quickly to
the sacred sarcophagus of Sister Maria Bagnesi. There, kneeling with
her companions, after having prayed together for some time, she
begged them to leave her by herself. When she was alone she prayed

48 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

continuously for three hours, that is, from the eighteenth to the twenty-
first hour,1 with that fervor of devotion which certainly was not want
ing in her, and which was called for by such a wonderful occurrence.
She returned to the infirmary alone, ate some food very naturally,
recited some prayers before the Crucifix, and, bidding good night to the
nurse, undressed and went to bed, and passed the night in quiet rest. In
the morning the nuns, who, even if they had wished to, could not doubt
the evidence of the miracle, gathered around her, and turning on her looks
which showed all the powers of amazement, all the forces of surprise
and tenderness of affection, spoke to her words of the highest veneration
and heartfelt satisfaction. To the joy they felt for their dear sister,
who had just passed from a dangerous illness to perfect health, they
united the greatest devotion and gratitude towards the Venerable Sister
Bagnesi, who had obtained such a providential favor for her who was
the ornament and the model of the monastery, on account of her great
sanctity. They all thanked her with feelings of most sincere and deep
gratitude. But it behooved Sister Mary Magdalen to do her share towards
her own benefactress, and we b -lie * she knew how to acquit herself
with exactitude and perfection. ja account of the frequency, the zeal,
and the grateful and constant love with which she betook herself to
the tomb of her beneficent mother, a few days after she recovered her
health, that is, on the eleventh of July, 1584, she enjoyed the following
remarkable privilege there. Whilst with great emotion of heart, at the
foot of the sepulchre, she was gratefully meditating upon the favor
received, she felt her soul being carried away by superhuman force
through the celestial regions. She was made worthy to behold there the
soul of the Venerable Bagnesi surrounded by great glory, and, through the
obedience she was under to reveal what she saw in her ecstasies, she
related this vision in the following words : u I saw in Paradise a most
beautiful throne of incomprehensible light, on which, all resplendent and
full of the greatest majesty, the blessed mother, Sister Maria Bagnesi,
was sitting ; and I understood that this throne was due to her virginity
and purity, which were to her very great ornaments. I also perceived
that this throne was adorned with jewels, and these were all those souls
she had led to the service of God, and who, encircling her all around
like a crown, added to her ornamentation and beauty. n In consequence
of the particular devotion she entertained for this servant of God, she was
favored, even before her illness, with some sublime visions. We report
them here for the sake of the continuity of the argument.

During the night of the twelfth of February, 1584, being at prayer,
and engaged in it with redoubled fervor, her mind was elevated to a
very high contemplation. She seemed to see in heaven the soul of the
Blessed Mother Maria Bagnesi, in the bosom of the Word Incarnate, as
a precious gem, with which the Divine Word was as well satisfied as a
bridegroom with the most valuable jewel with which he may be adorned.
She understood that the Word kept this beautiful gem on His breast not
only to delight in it, but also that it might be seen by all. He desired

1 According to the old Italian way of counting the hours of the day, which has lately
been revived. — Note of the Translator.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 49

it to be like a mirror for all who would gaze on it ; so that, noticing in
it her virtues — charity, purity, humility, patience, modesty, benignity,
the sweetness of the love she felt for God and her neighbor during life,
and for which she now enjoyed the reward — they would be gently
attracted to imitate her, at least in part, thus in some measure satisfying
God, as she constantly gave Him delight. Whilst she was contem
plating this Blessed soul, God gave St. Mary Magdalen to understand
that, on account of the special affection He bore to her monastery, He
had predestined two great luminaries for it — as it reads in Genesis, that
when He created the world, "fecit in eo duo iuminaria: lumiuare majiis
ut prczesset diei, et luminare mimis^ tit prczesset nocti" — "God made two
great lights : a greater light to rule the day ; and a lesser light to rule
the night" (Gen. i, 16). The one was the Blessed Virgin, the other the
Blessed Maria Bagnesi. The Blessed Virgin is the great luminary,
similar to the sun, because she is the special Mother of the monastery,
under whose banner they enlist. Therefore, she sheds light like the
sun, and on the day of grace, viz., during the present time, she, the
Mother of purity, continues to enlighten the souls that are found in her
dwelling-place ; strengthening them that they may walk in the path
of God, making known to them the deceits of the enemy, and all the
impediments that those who oppose them may cast in their way.
She assists them to triumph over such obstacles, and, with maternal
affection, she enlivens the sterile ground in the hearts of her beloved
daughters with the fire of divine love, so that, through her, they blossom
and bring forth flowers of just desire and fruits of good works and holy
virtues. Again, this holy Mother performs loftier operations in those
daughters who have the good disposition and prepare themselves, more
and more, by faithful correspondence to grace ; she produces in them
those greater spiritual effects which the sun is wont to produce materially
in a cultivated garden after a beneficent dew.

The minor luminary, which is the venerable mother, Sister Maria
Bagnesi, placed through the love of God over her monastery, is like a
moon, which, when the sun withdraws its rays, reflects its light. When,
at times, the Mother of God is offended at her daughters because of their
negligences and imperfections, and withdraws the rays of her splendor,
leaving them in utter darkness, this blessed soul with pious affection
enlightens the spirits of those wanderers in the obscurity of the night.
She offers them efficient help to learn the cause of this darkness, excites
them to true repentance, and, with urgent prayers, compels — so to say —
the Mother of God to overlook the faults committed by these ungrateful,
but repentant, daughters. Ah ! if the daughters of Mary could see how
much help conies to them from this minor luminary when they find
themselves in the obscurity of error, how much more they would profit
by it than they now do ! Not only does she protect us in Heaven before
God and His Holy Mother, but in the rare example of her virtues
she has left us on earth a guide most useful, undoubtedly, for all, but in
a special manner for the souls consecrated to God in the cloister, if they
would profit by it, following faithfully in her footsteps.

Again looking at these two heavenly luminaries, St. Mary Mag
dalen ,saw that both were continually infusing light into those conse-

50 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

crated souls. She saw, moreover, that those who lead an imperfect life
in Religion obscure these luminaries with something like clouds ; and
though they cannot take away the splendor from the sun and the moon,
yet they darken them and obscure their rays, preventing them from pro
ducing the desired effects in the individual. Souls who lead an imper
fect life in a sacred place not only prevent the operations that these
luminaries would produce, but lessen their influence on all the rest.
With great emphasis, she pronounced these words: "Even the faults
committed through weakness become clouds before these luminaries."
But afterwards she was comforted on seeing the Divine Spirit clearing
and casting away all the clouds made by the faults of those souls ; so
that the operations of those two divine luminaries were being wonder
fully performed and their effects brought to perfection. She saw some
souls like very thick clouds, which did not disperse, neither at
the light of the second luminary nor at the breath of the Divine
Spirit. They would certainly have prevented the above effects; but the
same Holy Ghost, with an extraordinary wind and great force,
drove them away and confined them to a corner ; so that, though they
were present, they did not at all prevent the Mother of God and the
Blessed soul from freely performing their operations upon all the inmates
of the monastery, The clouds were those souls that refused to remove
the impediments so that God's grace might work in them, and, there
fore, they remained with their imperfections. She also understood to
her great joy how the Blessed Virgin adopts, with ineffable love, as
her own daughters, all those who choose to dedicate themselves to God
in this monastery, and spiritually gives birth to them in the sight
of the Word. When they are born, she presents them to the Blessed
soul of the mother — Sister Maria Bagnesi — who, like a loving nurse,
raises them, and nourishes them spiritually. . Because of what she had
learned, having returned to her senses, our Saint was extremely pleased
and thankful to the Divine Providence for so efficaciously watching over
the monastery she had selected.

Another time, on the i/Lth of June, 1584, St. Mary Magdalen, with
two other nuns, visited the body of the Blessed Bagnesi, in order to return
thanks for the health so miraculously recovered through her mediation.
While praying, she was led in spirit to the same blessed one in paradise,
standing at the right hand of Jesus, between Jesus and the Blessed
Virgin, clothed in a silver dress with gold and brown embroidery; gold
for her charity, and brown for her great patience. She had palms in her
hand as do the martyrs, and she was beautifully and grandly adorned.
She saw also that Jesus took out of His most sacred hands large and
beautiful jewels, filling the hands of Mother Maria Bagnesi with them,
that she might dispense them. These jewels were of four kinds, viz. ,
white, red, violet, and brown; white for purity, red for the love of God,
violet for humility, and brown for patience. While the mother dis
pensed them, she saw her giving many of them, especially the white
and red ones, to the nuns. She herself was given the four kinds, but a
greater number of white and red ; the confessor was also given the
four k'inds, but more of the red and an abundance of the brown, because
of the sovereign and uniform patience which his office required. She

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 51

also saw her giving some of them, the most of which were violet and
brown, to lay persons. Then it was presented to her imagination how
the Blessed Bagnesi was gloriously drawn in a chariot of fire, likeKlias,
the father of the Carmelites ; and she understood that chariot to be of
fire because of her great charity in spiritual and temporal things.
The four wheels signified the four cardinal virtues, viz., justice, forti
tude, temperance, and prudence, practiced by her during her life. Here
ended the second vision St. Mary Magdalen had of Blessed Maria
Bagnesi.

We will frequently note similar visions in our Saint, some of which
were accompanied by revelations of hidden things or predictions of things
to come. I have alluded, in the Introduction, to the kind of belief
which we should give them. At this first, and perhaps not so favorable,
impression that may have been made on the mind of the reader, it
seems to me opportune to add some remarks which may better satisfy
him. Immediate answers have the greatest weight, and more easily
recur to memory in similar cases, so that, if one wants to, he may apply
them for his own benefit. The Church, unlike secret societies, is wont
to work in full light and the evidence of facts. She fears not the enmity
of man, because she has no need of man. The history of virtuous and
holy persons should not hide their imperfections, if they exist; nor
should it inspire the reader with an uncertain and, perhaps, erroneous
piety. The exposition of facts is not a panegyric nor a legend. Truth
is never the loser; and it alone can convince and improve people. I am
pleased, therefore, in spite of anyone who may be opposed, to quote
the words Ludovico Muratori left us in his book on the strength of
human imagination. In it he says: "When some virgins and other
souls enamored of God give themselves up to meditate on the life of our
Divine Saviour, or other truths of religion, it is proper to suppose
that they have already filled their minds with sacred doctrines and
devout ideas By the continuous reading of ascetic books, the sermons
they have heard, and the instructions given them by learned and pious men.
Materials are not wanting to their imagination for the forming of long,
ingenious colloquies in their mind, and for the imagining of new
ideas by the help of those preceding, deducing one from the other, and
representing the actions of God, the angels, and other blessed spirits
as their devout affection deems more appropriate and suitable to the
subject of their contemplation. All this can take place without any
miracle — without particular cooperation of God ; I mean to say, natu
rally. A soul full of sacred affection, with an imagination rich with so
many ideas, is sufficient for it. * * * Then the habit of becoming ecstatic
is formed, so that at the sight of the divine mysteries, or on returning to
their usual meditations, their mind sees itself easily absorbed in these
thoughts ; and they seem really, in imagination, to have Christ our
Lord present to them, to embrace Him as a child, to accompany Him to
the passion, and to do other like things. * * * Ecstasies and visions,
therefore, being uniform in their substance, in the absence of an evident
intervention of divine action, there must always remain some diffidence
lest what appears to be God's work may not be truly so, and a doubt
that jt may be but a natural phenomenon of persons who are ardently

52 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

tending to God. Mystics themselves avow that in this matter a soul is
subject to many deceptions. : * This is said, nevertheless, not to
condemn entirely all apparitions and revelations, because, if to believe
too much is an excess, it is no less of an excess to believe nothing."

Behold, then, the plain talk of a writer who, certainly unsuspected of
exaggeration in matters of piety, yet knows how to respect what apper
tains to the all-powerful goodness of God. As for ourselves, let us be
ware, lest in wanting to be free, we become unjust and unreasonable.
Let us freely admit that our Saint was sometimes transported by her imag
ination to see what did not exist, or to modify the existence of it. These
fanciful productions, when they are not in opposition to the fundamental
maxims of the faith, and, better, if by them a soul profits in piety, may be
regarded as a means of Divine Providence more suited to such a person,
as Jesus Christ Himself made use of parables and sensible signs to adapt
Himself to the common intelligence. We cannot conceive what is above
our senses, except by comparison with what is really subject to us. The
grace of God instructs us according to our capacity, leading us, like
children, by external signs, to represent to ourselves the formal existence
of the invisible. Our imagination corresponds to it with more or less
liveliness, according to our nature, education, and habits; hence, igno
rant and simple persons, females particularly, have been and always will
be more prolific in forming fanciful ideas ; because the stronger they are
in imagination, the weaker are their reasoning powers. But God, who
is so good, sometimes communicates Himself to them in preference to
very learned men, for the well-known reason that imagination accom
panied by humble devotion is more susceptible to such communication,
than an intellect which, though sublime, is puffed up by vain haughti
ness. In regard to this science we all have equal strength of mind, and
the virtue of our heart alone can make us more apt to attain it ; so that
the opinion of a poor, ignorant woman may be preferable in this to that
of a distinguished theologian. Moreover, when the ecstasies, visions,
or revelations have the supernatural element required by the above-
quoted writer, and certainly by every good Catholic — that is, when we
see in them some sure evidence of a prodigy, such as an instantaneous
cure, an ecstasy, an elevation of the body from the ground, a revelation
of things hidden or far off — we should venerate them as the works of
Divine Omnipotence. Of such a character are nearly all the marvels of
our Seraphim of the Carmel ; hence, in venerating these by an indis
pensable duty of our faith, we should not refuse our assent to others of
the same Saint, even if they do not appear so evidently marked. Let us,
at least, acknowledge them as natural effects either of reason or of
fancy, associated with God's ordinary grace. The incontestable proof of
one fact is a guarantee for a thousand others in the same person, though
the cause may not appear of equal credibility every time. Every good
logician will teach us thus. It is truly a breach of faith when men want
to take exception to this unavoidable principle only in matters of re
ligion ; as the wicked Jews, who, at the sight of so many and such
amazing miracles wrought by Jesus Christ, suppressed what might have
convinced them of their own malignity ; and would themselves study,
and make others also study, the works of Christ from that side only from

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

53

which they thought they would have a good chance to deny and calum
niate. After all, I will grant that some acts in this history, not accom
panied or directed by divine grace, might be said to be the consequence
of exaltation of mind, or rather a slight excess in piety ; but more than
this cannot be granted. Even supposing this to be the case, when the
Church has not condemned, will we dare condemn it as an excess of
virtue, whilst in ourselves we tolerate, and wish others to tolerate, such
excesses of vice ? I will say, once and for all : Let, at least, the essential
virtues of the Christian be possessed by us — let God be within our
hearts — and we will know how to judge with equity the actions of the
Saints ; otherwise our consciences will be tribunals without judges.
St. Paul, writing to Titus, has left us this comment : UA11 things are
clean to the clean : but to the defiled, and the unbelievers, nothing is
clean ; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled" (Tit. i, 15).
Let us impress this well on our minds, and apply it efficaciously to our
hearts.

54

THE LIFE AND WORKS

CHAPTER XIL

SHE RETURNS TO THE NOVITIATE, WHERE SHE GIVES NEW PROOFS

OF MORTIFICATION AND SANCTITY, AND IS SEVERAL TIMES RAPT

IN ECSTASY, DURING WHICH SHE LEARNS THAT IT IS GOD'S

WILL THAT SHE SHOULD LIVE ON BREAD AND WATER.

]HE superioress, having detained her in the infirmary for a
few days longer, thought, as did likewise the spiritual
director of the monastery, that she would not send her back
to the novitiate, but rather leave her free with the other
professed nuns, that at her pleasure and convenience she
might better satisfy her spirit of contemplation. She spoke
to her about it, but the humble daughter feared that if she
satisfied her self-love by allowing this, she might render her
self less acceptable to God, so she began to plead with the superioress to
place her again in the novitiate, where, on account of the subjection and
mortification especially practiced there, she would feel more certain of
divine approbation. She was consoled in her pious desires, and so
were also the other novices. She, because of her great love of humble
suffering, and also to avoid the privilege of associating with the professed
mothers before the completion of the usual time spent by all in the
novitiate ; they, on account of the companionship of so beautiful a soul,
who could instruct them by words and by her exemplary life efficaciously
lead them to religious perfection. As if favored of God with a great
gift she returned many thanks, and by way of gratitude gave herself up,
more than ever, to the observance of the rule and the practices of Reli
gion. She occupied herself in the exterior exercises with such great con
solation to her soul and with such an upright intention toward God,
that in no case was she ever distracted by them from her interior recol
lection. When at prayer, which would be as soon as she had finished
her manual work, she would immediately be alienated from her senses
and wholly rapt in God. It oftentimes happened that in the very act
of manual exercise she was overtaken by an ecstasy. It was also an
inconceivable wonder to the sisters to see that this holy child, privileged
of God with such distinct favors of ecstasies and revelations, not only
would derive from them no self-complacency or esteem, but on coming
to herself, as if those things had been rather a fault in her, she would
humble herself to the least of the novices — even lay-novices. As if

When her mother approached Holy Communion, she drew nearer

to her, as if she «* tasted " the fragrance of the

sacramental species (page 20).

54

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 55

mortified, she would return to her other companions to fulfill with addi
tional solicitude the orders and customs of the novitiate, as if to make
amends for a time unduly spent. It occasioned them equal wonder
to hear her talk to her companions with so much charity and humility,
and of herself so basely and contemptuously, whilst a few moments pre
viously she had been heard and seen talking so sublimely on exalted
subjects.

Though the pains of her illness, above described, had been so long
and excessive, not only did they not extinguish in her the desire she
felt of suffering for the love of God, but it seems, having thus tasted
suffering, she yearned more and more for it. The kind superioress tried
to make sure of the preservation of her health by particular diligence in
the use of restoratives and by keeping far from her anything that might
cause her pain ; she, on the contrary, tried in every manner and devised
every means to suffer much, but without being noticed by anyone.
There was a lay-novice of great simplicity, and our Saint, ingenious in
her holiness, made good use of her in the exercise of her own sufferings.
The mistress would order this lay-sister to prepare a specially tasty pot
tage for Sister Mary Magdalen ; but she would persuade the lay-sister
to bring her, instead, a small slice of bread in boiled water without salt,
telling her that this was better for her. She would also have her bring
to the doorkeepers the collation that was sent her, that they might
give it to the poor, for the love of God ; and she would take for herself
a bitter drink made from herbs, saying that this was better for her
stomach. Perhaps the Saint wished by this suffering to experience in
herself the passion of her Divine Spouse, embittered in His last hours by
gall, whilst He was dying on the cross for the redemption of souls. It
was only after the death of the Saint that the simple lay-sister told of
her condescensions. Sister Mary Magdalen devised also, about that
time, a kind of suffering-, by her called hidden, which she continued
throughout the course of her life. It was that, noticing how the supe
rioresses studied to please and satisfy her every wish or desire, not to
say need (they so much valued her preservation), she, with virtuous
industry, or rather with marked victory over herself, "would pretend that
what she liked and preferred gave her annoyance and pain ; and, on the
contrary, that a thing would please and delight her for which in reality
she felt repugnance and antipathy. It happened very often that things
were done for her, or ordered, that she very much disliked, and things for
bidden her which would have been very much to her taste. Hence, she
was living in a continuous act of mortification and abnegation of her
own will, and frequently in bodily pain and travail. What crowned
this heroic exercise was the virtue of humility, by which this would
have remained unknown (as the nuns never noticed it) if she had not
indirectly betrayed herself to the other novices by suggesting to them
this means of suffering for their greater perfection. They well under
stood that, before proposing it to others, she had long adopted and
practiced it. It is to be remarked that in hiding the truth Sister Mary
Magdalen De-Pazzi was very careful not to offend against it in any way,
because if we are not always bound to manifest the truth, we are never
permitted to advance falsehood ; hence, that language of the world

56 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

(sometimes adopted, alas ! even by those whose strict duty it is to diffuse
the sovereign, unfailing light) which openly says yes for no, and vice
versa, is at variance with the Gospel and with God. Consequently, it
takes from society the foundation of justice, the only bond that makes
compacts inviolable, insures friendship, guarantees peace, safety, and
public weal ; and everybody, especially if weak and poor, has to-day
cause for deeply regretting it.

The light of Sister Mary Magdalen's great sanctity shone in her
works, and even from her countenance some ray of God's spirit was
apparent. By simply seeing her face, strangers judged her to be a
nun of rare perfection. Hence, those girls who entered the monastery
on trial, as we have seen happened at the beginning of her novitiate,
felt irresistibly drawn towards the Saint by a hidden force of affection
and reverence ; and if any one of them, as also happened, had entered
with a doubt of her vocation for becoming a nun, by dealing with
her she would feel her will become prodigiously deliberate and firm to
remain there and not to serve God by the religious vows elsewhere. So
powerful with the Saints is divine virtue, that it preaches by the
actions and the very presence, no less than by words. A wonderful
thing happened to a mere country girl who took on the habit of a lay-
sister in this monastery. That she might more easily and efficaciously
become instructed in the duties of a Religious, the confessor often
exhorted her to stay in Sister Mary Magdalen's company ; but, on
account of her ignorance and simplicity, she could not remember her
name, though she greatly wished to. She could not distinguish the Saint
from the rest, though, as she afterwards confessed, her face indicated
to her a virtue altogether singular. She would ask the sisters to point
her out to her ; and they, pleased at such marked simplicity, refused to
comply ; but God, who has a predilection for a simple and ingenuous
heart, consoled the lay-sister, and gave a new manifestation of the
sanctity of His seraphic bride. One morning, whilst that religious com
munity was hearing the Holy Mass in the choir, the lay-sister had a
great desire to know which of the nuns was our Saint. L,ooking first
at one and then at another, she saw a great light suddenly sur
rounding one of them ; and in that light she perceived a most beautiful
child, who caressed the nun. From this she became assured that this
was the Saint ; and, not doubting but that the child was Jesus who so
favored His beloved one, she was so overcome by sacred fear that, unable
longer to endure such a sight, she was compelled to leave the choir,
frightened, not even knowing whither she was going. In the corri
dor which led from the interior sacristy to the choir, she was met by
two nuns. They were surprised at her strange and uncertain move
ments, and stopped her to ask the cause of her conduct. She openly
related to them what she had seen and experienced, and then, having
become quieted, she returned with them to the choir, where with great
fervor she thanked God, who, by means of divine light, had assured her
recognition of the person, and now reminded her of her name, Sister
Mary Magdalen, in such a way that she would never forget it again.
The simplicity of this lay-sister earned for her at other times similar
favors, and especially when the Saint was making bread with the other

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZ2I. 57

nuns this lay -sister saw Jesus around her in the same form, who would
make light for her when she through her humility would carry the bread
to the bakery. She also saw an image of the Virgin in relief, in the choir,
raising her hand and blessing the Saint. These visions which God made
use of to confirm her in her opinion of Sister Mary Magdalen's sanctity,
caused her always to venerate the Saint with special respect and distinct
and affectionate devotion. But the Lord God was not satisfied with
decorating His servant with these splendors ; He wanted to form her
entirely according to His own heart.

On Tuesday, May 2ist, 1585, our Saint was busy working in the
monastery, when, feeling an extraordinary throbbing of the heart, she
resolved to return to the novitiate. She had scarcely arrived when
she was thrown to the ground by an unseen force, and remained there
a long time as if dead. Then she uttered these words : u Lord, what dost
Thou want of me? perhaps the exterior for the interior?" And she
understood that God desired that in future she should feed on bread and
water only, except on feast-days, when she was to have lenten fare ; and
this was to atone for offenses which sinners offered to God. God then
showed her the reward prepared for those who, for His love, deprive
themselves of the pleasures of the world, and, continuing in the ecstasy,
she exclaimed with an accent of astonishment: uOh! how sweet and
charming is the place, but great are the works that must be performed
by those who wish to reach there." As the fast prescribed for her
seemed to her but a small work compared to the happiness she saw pre
pared for her soul, she added : " If it were sufficient, O my God, for the
salvation of creatures, I would live a thousand years in this world, and
I would think myself happy. Thy Word made me ask that I might
suffer some pain for Thy creatures ; Thou art satisfied with this ; so be
it." She continued, then, to speak in this way : " Thou art truly pow
erful, O my God, as, if Thou hadst not called me thus, and also thrown
me to the ground, I would not have answered Thee. May Thy will
always be done. I wish rather to die than to offend Thy exalted purity.
But I wish to rest all in Thee ; as, by remaining united to Thee, I know
that nothing will trouble me. Grant me, then, this favor, O my Jesus,
that I may continually rest in Thy divine will." On the following
Thursday, as she was reciting the divine office with another sister, she
was again thrown to the ground ; and being immediately rapt in ecstasy,
flushed in the face, and with her eyes fixed on heaven, she said with
trebled force: "Adsum, adsum, adsum" — UI am present;" and, in the
person of the Eternal Father, she added : " I call thee that thou mayest
follow My vocation and request, as I have already shown thee." And
then, in her own person : " Thou art truly great and powerful." After
this, she remained over half an hour in silent contemplation, and then
came to herself. But she remained somewhat perplexed by this vision, as
she saw herself in a painful dilemma — not to fulfill, on one side, the Divine
will, which she loved greatly ; and not to be able to avoid, on the other side,
making herself singular in the community, to both of which her humble
spirit was equally repugnant. Reflecting longer on it, she began to fear
lest it might not be God who wanted her to lead such a mode of life. She
dared not speak of it to her confessor, nor to anyone in the monastery,

58 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

as she thought they would be opposed to her in this matter. But God,
who exacted from her this peculiar mortification, on the following day —
that is, on Friday — gave her additional proof of it. Whilst she was
with the novices, again, and with even greater force, she was thrown to
the ground. There she remained speechless for a while ; then, in the
person of the Eternal Father, she said: u Crastina die nihil gusta-
bis, nisi panem et aquam ; et si hoc non fades, retraham a te oculos
meos — 'To-morrow thou shalt taste but bread and water ; and, if thou
failest to do it, I will withdraw My eyes from thee.' But if thou
wilt do what I have shown to thee, thus doing My will and that of
the Word, who, with so much love gave and gives Himself to thee,
I will be pleased in thee, as I have been thus far. And if thou
wilt that thy work be acceptable to Me, let this exterior action which I
demand of thee be wholly voluntary. It will be like a mirror to your
mind ; and fear not what thy adversary will do against thee, as I will
never let him prevail against thy person. I will give thy mind in charge
of angels, that they may guard it. The Mother of My only-begotten Sou
will be thy guardian, that thou mayst not lose the impress of the passion
of the Word, which I have engraved on thy heart ; and be perfectly sure
that thy desires will be unknown to the devil, thy enemy, and I will
fulfill all thy wishes." Here she became silent; and, for a while, it
seemed that her thought was in suspense ; then, sending forth a deep
sigh, and crossing her arms, she bowed her head, and said of herself,
wholly submissive to the Divine Will: "Non moriar, sed adimplebo
opera tua"—"l shall not die * * * but will fulfill Thy works" (Ps.
cxvii, 17). Having uttered these words-, she came to herself, and by the
command of obedience which compelled her to manifest to some nuns,
deputed for that purpose, all she saw or heard during her ecstasy, she at
once faithfully related to them what we have said about the above three
wonders of the omnipotence and goodness of God. Afterwards she
spoke of it also to her father confessor, who, in common with the
mothers, doubted lest some artifice of the devil might be concealed under
such austerity and singularity of fast. Both he and they answered
her that they would not permit her to lead such a peculiar life ; and
that she must submit in obedience, and take the food prepared for the
community. She promptly submitted to it ; not only with her will, but
also with her judgment ; sure that if God wanted it, He would have
moved the minds of those who held His place so that they might incline
to her favor. In fact, Divine Providence was not slow to manifest
in His faithful servant such signs of His supreme will, that no room
could be left for anyone to doubt it. On the following day, she sat at
the table for the common meal, intending, for the sake of obedience, to
eat what the rest did. When she tried to do so, however, she felt such
a revolting feeling at the stomach that she was unable to take even the
least amount of soup or a drop of wine. If she would force herself to
take even a little, she would be seized with a violent attack of vomiting,
with hemorihages. Bread and water only could she take and retain
naturally and with ease. Because of this, the confessor renewed the ex
periment; and he and the nuns who had witnessed both the first and sec
ond attacks, the. latter of which happened on the evening of the same day,

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 59

thought that to resist this desire of St. Mary Magdalen was to resist the
pure will of God ; hence they allowed her to follow her will in this new
mode of living so divinely outlined. And, glad beyond saying, for
this concession which freed her from so many anxieties, on the succeeding
day, which was the 25th of May, 1585, being nineteen years of age, she
immediately began to fulfill the fast imposed upon her, of bread and
water on ferial days, and lenten food on feast-days. She persevered in
this fast with unalterable fidelity for several years, until the moment
when it pleased God to order her to do otherwise.

As far as possible, she took care also to hide the virtue of these acts,
saying that God permitted her to do this on account of her sins, because
of which she was unworthy to take food like the rest ; and, also, that
this system was the best for her health — for her humility ; in a word,
reasons were not wanting for humiliating herself, although it had the
opposite effect. The more she humbled herself, the higher grew the good
opinion of her in the minds of others, according to the well-known Gos
pel principle, that he who humbleth himself shall be exalted, and he who
exalteth himself shall be humbled. On the 26th, being rapt in ecstasy,
the Eternal Father again confirmed the manner of her taking food ; and
He told her, moreover, that it was His will that her rest should not exceed
five hours, and that the straw mattress alone was to be her ordinary bed.
He also wanted her words to be words of meekness, of truth, of justice;
her understanding to be as if dead, not only without investigating the
things of others, but not even her own ; her memory to be forgetful of
every other thing except the benefits received from Him ; her will de
sirous of nothing in the world, but only intent on fulfilling what would
be pleasing to Him. Finally, He wanted her to wholly resign herself
to His providence, and place herself in His arms as if dead. And in
truth, the life of St. Mary Magdalen was so directed by the will of God,
and so submitted to the same, that it became a miracle of perfection, and
a token of most complete sacrifice to the majesty of the Most High.

6o

THE LIFE AND WORKS OK

CHAPTER XIIL

GOD FORETELLS A FIVE-YEARS' TRIAL FOR HER, AND SHE PASSES IT

IN GREAT DESOLATION. VARIOUS TEMPTATIONS, AND THE

REMEDIES EMPLOYED BY HER TO OVERCOME THEM.

]O holy souls, not only the consolations but also the aridities
of spirit are a heavenly gift, as they firmly believe that both
the one and the other proceed from the same Hand that
ceases not for a moment to provide for our welfare. Nay,
as they draw from the desolations a stronger argument for
doing penance, they become united through them with
greater sweetness and efficacy to the Divine Goodness.
Thus it happened to this great servant of God in the temp
tations and trials she endured for five whole years, as she therein found
the means to conform herself better to the Divine Will, and to obey
Him who had so marvelously manifested everything to her. God made
known to her that, like Daniel, she would enter the lion's den, viz., that
she would be assailed and harassed by most horrible temptations ; but in
the end, like refined gold, she would come out of the furnace of the
tempting devils to become more acceptable to her most pure Spouse,
Jesus. On the feast of the Holy Ghost, God revealed to her the great
number of temptations she was to endure, and the Saint saw legions of
devils under the form of most horrible beasts. She grew pale and
trembled with fright at this monstrous spectacle ; but strengthened by
virtue she offered herself to the Eternal Father, ready to drink the bitter
chalice and ascend to Calvary, to consummate there the sacrifice of
tribulation. After this offering she recovered from her ecstasy, which
had lasted two hours. During this time, though she heard painful news,
she was not, on the other hand, left without a sure and sweet token of
her Spouse's love. She learned that on the same feast of the Holy
Ghost He would infuse Himself into her soul, to render it, with an infusion
of sweetness, strong against the pains of her assailed spirit ; and that the
Eternal Word would be her guardian, together with the great Mother of
God, Saint Augustine, Saint Angelo the Carmelite, and Saint Catherine
of Siena, her tutelary Saints ; and that she would be strengthened with
spiritual comforts drawn from the humanity of the Word, by whose per
fection, being made constant, she would gain a splendid victory in all
those most bitter combats, and triumph most gloriously and completely

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 6 1

over hell. In the evening of that same day, having reentered the
ecstasy, she again saw appearing before her a group of devils, who, with
tremendous shouts and terrible antics, as though they were wild animals,
threatened to kill and devour her. In the meanwhile, they suggested
to her mind the most impious and wicked temptations, so that she
became extremely sad and afflicted thereby. She uttered touching words,
called upon heaven and earth and the inhabitants thereof to come to her
rescue. Turning to God, she asked : "Where is the sun of Thy justice?
To me it seems obscured. * * * Hast Thou, perchance, withdrawn Thy
goodness from me ? I feel abandoned — like a body without limbs, which,
on account of all it suffers, cannot of itself procure any relief." The Lord
gave her to understand that she was to endure these sufferings for the
sake of her neighbors, as she could not, then, be of any advantage to them
otherwise. Hence, she replied: "The accursed heretics, for I cannot
call them by any other name, will cause me most cruel pain, because
though they have once received Thy Spirit, O my God, yet they do not
walk in it. Many brides also, weary of Thy restraint, wrill provoke these
most ferocious devils to assail me and increase my torment. If, O Word,
these souls should return to Thee, I would be happy ; and I would be
satisfied if the devils should come and torment me a thousand times. I
see myself surrounded on every side by horrible monsters, and, hear
ing their roars, I cannot keep myself from raising my voice also.
Should I be forbidden to do it aloud, nobody will be able to prevent me
from crying internally to my God, so that I shall be heard. These
diabolical spirits would like, O my Jesus, to throw faith to the ground, do
away with humility, scorn purity, and place in my heart, instead of
resignation to Thee, a wicked will. I do not wonder, that, being unable
to succeed in it, they return to attack me with such fierceness, and try
to make so great a noise that I may not notice the inspiration which pro
ceeds from Thee, O my God. My feelings are like those of one con
demned to death, who endures as much pain at the sight of the axe that
is to cut his head off, as at the very moment he receives the fatal stroke.
I know very well, O my Lord, that if Thou shouldst lessen the power of
Thy hand, they would take my life. They would truly take out my
very entrails, therefore they rush furiously against me ; but my Spouse
has put within me His spirit and heart, and, having thus placed me
in this hard trial, wishes me to suffer for His creatures, that they may
be converted to Him. I recollect, O Word, some few shades Thou
gavest me, under the cover of which I must remain for some time that
I may not hear such dreadful roars and terrible yells, and that I
may not behold the horrible sight of the devils. But, O Eternal Word,
I can find no escape from this lake, no matter whither I fly. What
shall I do, then ? : * * Better it will be if I arm myself with courage
and glory in suffering. Redime me a calumniantibus me! Gene-
ratio mea ablata est et convuluta est a me. Oportet contristari in variis
tentationibus. Timor et tremor venerunt super me, et contexerunt me
tenebrce. sEstimatus sum tanquam mortuus a corde — 'Redeem me
from those who calumniate me (Ps. cxviii, 134). My generation is at
an end and it is rolled away from me (Isai. xxxviii, 12). Now you must
be made sorrowful in divers temptations (I Pet. i, 6). Fear and

62 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

trembling are come upon me, and darkness hath covered me (Ps. liv, 6).
I am deemed as one dead from the heart' (Ps. xxx, 13). Stretch Thy
right hand over me and give me strength. I know, O Word, that Thy
goodness is pleased that I should not be deprived of the sense of grace
till the coming of Thy vision (she meant the feast of the Most Holy
Trinity) ; but that I should rather contemplate Thy greatness and that
of Thy Holy Spirit." In fact, during the whole octave of Pente
cost this sense of grace remained in the ecstatic soul of the Saint;
but on the morning of Trinity Sunday, being still in ecstasy, she
began to exclaim : " O loving Word, the time in which light will fail
is drawing near, and darkness approaches. The light comes also,
but is dark ; the darkness comes, too, but it is clear. I see the adver
saries with their temptations getting together, one by one. Alas ! like
bees around the flowers, they seem to surround the soul. But Thou, O
Word, pressing down Thy hand a little, dost not let them rise, and
Thou sendest those Saints chosen by Thee to introduce the soul under
the most sweet shades already shown to me. Alas ! it is one thing to
hear a thing spoken of and another thing to suffer it. It is meet, O
Word, that Thou, on the day on which we celebrate the feast of the
union — I mean of the Most Holy Trinity — shouldst prepare for thy
bride an unusual and unknown union. Sufficit mihi gratia tua"
During these ecstasies she also understood that she would have to
endure not only the assaults of the devils, but that she should also pre
pare herself to suffer not a little from her own nuns ; as some of them,
seeing her so different from her former condition, would rise a'gainst her;
and the others, at least losing the favorable opinion they had of her,
would abandon her, as the apostles abandoned Jesus in His passion.
One of the principals of the monastery being present and hearing this,
said with firmness : " If all should abandon thee and turn against
thee, I will never forsake thee." The Saint answered thus: "Thou
shalt be the first one, and thou shalt not leave this room before thou
shalt already be changed and turned," and it so truly happened. For some
time she uttered no other word. Showing great sadness in her counte
nance, she gradually entered into a mortal lethargy ; then, as if with
the effort exerted shortly before final dissolution, with open arms and
with eyes looking as those of one suffering the last agony, she sent forth
a cry of fright at the moment when she had to succumb to the taking
of the sense of grace from her. Here her ecstasy ended, and our Saint
passed from it to a life of desolation and dryness, in which she re
mained for five years as though she had never tasted anything of God,
but tasted all the enormity and horribleness of the temptations
which it seems opportune here to describe separately, as follows :

FIRST TEMPTATION.
CONTINUOUS SIGHT OF THE DEVILS AND ARIDITY OF SPIRIT.

The more Sister Mary Magdalen's soul remained void of heavenly
comforts, the more her imagination became filled with phantoms and
infernal spectres. Day and night, wherever she found herself, in
whatsoever exercise, even of piety, her mind was pained by the sight of

At the age of ten, she receives for the first time the Most Holy
Communion (page 21).

62

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 63

ihe devil, who, appearing to her in the most horrible and diverse forms,
always persistently tried to frighten her. Hence, the bride of Christ
remained so afflicted, that, as she said, the pain of death would have
been more bearable to her. She seemed to be in a veritable lion's den,
where, being made a target for all the diabolical rage, there was no
insult that could be contrived in hell which she was not made to suffer. In
fact, there is no torment of spirit imaginable that this soul, though most
innocent, did not endure during this hard trial. Sometimes she felt so
strongly tempted that, against her will, she would struggle outwardly
also, and her discourse was not always reasonable. What caused her the
greatest pain was the thought that her acts of resistance to the
temptations were not sufficient to save her from sin. It seemed to her
as if her will seconded the wicked suggestions, and she were continually
offending God (and let anyone who feels any great love for God say
what anguish the fear of offending Him causes a soul !). Hence, these
were her words : " I have become a pit of iniquity, the cause of all the
evils and offenses which are committed against God ; so that I know not
how Jesus and my fellow-creatures tolerate me on earth." Another time,
she said that her mind appeared to her like a great dark and obscure
chamber, in the midst of which could be seen the light of a very
small lantern, that is that indefinable trace of good-will which cannot
be so easily extinguished in one who has been penetrated by the
divine flames. During this privation of intellectual light and devout
sensibility, all the exercises of the Religion weighed upon her so much
that she had to act by obedience in order to go to the choir, the
refectory, and all other places, according to the orders of the community,
whilst before she used to be naturally anxious and happy in obeying
them. She continued the holy habit of private prayers, but she
derived from them no comfort. Being found at prayer by a nun in a
room next to the kitchen, and used as one, among pots and pans, with
open doors and windows, and being asked by the nun why she had
placed herself there in prayer rather than in a more convenient place,
with great submission and bitterness of soul, she answered: " It is the
same to me whether I pray here or elsewhere ; as, at any rate, I find
myself much like these earthen pots ; I have no more strength to
raise my mind to God ; I have become as a worm." This desolation
of spirit would not have troubled or robbed her of her peace, only that
she believed it a sign of God's anger. As to its being troublesome
and painful, she was most ready to suffer everything to please God.
Hence, on account of her being in such a condition and her inability to
free herself from it, with incessant tears and sighs she would accuse
herself of being utterly guilty. The continuous presenting to her
imagination of all the offenses offered to the Divine Majesty — as God had
foretold her during her eight days' ecstasy, when she was about to enter
this lake of anguish — was the cause of the greatest affliction to her.

Now she saw the wicked insults offered to God by heretics,
now those of bad Christians, now the perfidy of the Jews and the infidels ;
but, above all, the monstrous ingratitude of those Religious who observe
not the rules. At times, she felt the horror of the blasphemies
uttered against God and the Saints ; at times, the odor of lascivious-

../*

64 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

ness and impurity ; the black cloud of pride ; the execrable stench
of sacrilege ; the bitterness of enmity and strife. She saw these
and other consequences of the passions, leading man to rebel, even
against that God from whose power every impulse to our well-being
essentially comes. All these things deeply wounded to the quick the
heart of this innocent victim. Thus God wished to try the fortitude con
ferred on her by the almost continuous heavenly vision which she enjoyed
in the foregoing contemplations, so that no grace granted to her would
remain without its exercise and test of virtue.

SECOND TEMPTATION.

SHE IS TEMPTED AGAINST FAITH— ARTIFICE OF THE DEVIL TO
HINDER HER FREQUENTING THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST.

The devil assailed the unconquerable faith of this great Soul with a
snare which was as impudent as it was foolish. He wanted no less than
to convince her that there was no God, nor after-life besides the earthly
one, transitory and frail ; and that, therefore, it was vain and superfluous
to suffer for the love of One who does not exist, and useless to labor for
an eternal life which was purely imaginary, as everything ends with
man's death. She felt this erroneous idea becoming so deeply, im
pressed in her mind that she became so confused as to be incapable oi
recalling any of the many powerful reasons to dissipate it. Though hei
will was ever ready to give up life in any painful way for the confession
of the faith, yet, not feeling the former ardor and light she wished to
still have, it seemed to her as if she seconded the temptation ; which
pained her heart exceedingly. Moreover, the enemy's cunning was re
markable in the peculiar choice of the object of these assaults, which
was the august Sacrament of the Altar. He is not ignorant of our
having in the Eucharist every weapon to win any combat — every good to
enrich our souls. The frequency and the devotion with which St. Mary
Magdalen made use of it displeased Satan very much; hence he gathered
about him all his diabolical forces to distract the mind and the heart oi
our Saint therefrom. He wished to destroy in her altogether the
faith in this most august Sacrament, suggesting to her that it was
idolatry and foolishness to adore what was introduced by the fanaticism
or the interest of men ; and that, as a wise woman, she should rather
despise than use a superstitious food. He then filled her with such
repugnance against approaching Holy Communion, that, while formerly
she found in it all her comfort and delight, now she felt the pain oi
death. The temptations against faith molested her more and more in
the act of receiving the Blessed Sacrament; and the devil, unable to
subdue her to this unbelief, as the father of lies and contradiction,
afflicted her on the other hand by inspiring her with the fear of receiving
Holy Communion without being in a state of grace. It was easier to
persuade her of this on account of her great humility — her desolation
and sadness of spirit — of which she was not relieved, even when receiving
Holy Communion. Her soul, therefore, was sorely afflicted ; because,
in the very source of her delight, she found so many reasons for grief.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 65

But the enemy of souls failed to make her diminish the usual frequency ;
nay, to render herself stronger in such a war, she then made use of a
remedy which had been suggested to her by the Queen of Heaven. It
was to have it imposed on her by obedience never so much as to think of
omitting Holy Communion. Having obtained this from the superioress,
she answered her with promptness and joy: "I will try, with the help
of Jesus, to do what has been imposed on me." From this act, she de
rived so much strength against the temptation that she felt some respite
from it. But the devil seeing that this means robbed him of the hope
of victory, made use of external means to frighten the humble maid.
As she approached the small window to receive Holy Communion, a
horrid monster appeared to her imagination, which — full of wrath and
fury, its eyes flashing fire, its mouth vomiting flames, a naked sword in
its hand — threatened her with death if she dared to approach. At this
sight, she became so dismayed that she had not strength to move a step
farther; and it became necessary that the spiritual director should en
courage and exhort her to approach without fear. As he saw the
temptation did not cease, he prudently thought of giving her Holy
Communion by herself until he knew her to be free from this trouble.
Though the Communions of St. Mary Magdalen were deprived of
spiritual light, yet they were not without profit, as she would draw from
them* great courage and an invincible constancy to fight against such
fierce adversaries. Though so long assailed, she never gave up the field to
the enemy, nor did she doubt the Divine help. This, at times, made
itself powerfully felt, and occasionally, in the course of those five years,
even ineffably sweet ; so that, as a restorative of the spirit, it reinvigo-
rated and stimulated her, even causing her to wish for new difficulties
and new pains for the love of God.

THIRD TEMPTATION.

SHE IS TEMPTED TO BLASPHEMY AND CONTEMPT FOR SACRED

IMAGES.

The above temptation against faith was accompanied by the most
horrible one of blasphemy ; for in the very act when the devil tried to
make her disbelieve in God, he impiously excited her to blaspheme
Him. This was not a mere suggestion, but was so live and fierce that
she seemed to hear, as if they were present, the voices of the most wicked
and impudent blasphemers who crowd together in a tavern and appear to
vie with each other to see which of them can best turn himself into a
Satan. This happened to her more particularly when reciting the divine
office. Though she tried with all possible care to apply her mind and
heart to sing the divine praises, the envious enemy, to prevent her
doing this good, filled her ears with such execrable blasphemy that she
was not only compelled to distract her attention, which was intent on
doing contrary things, but, even in pronouncing the sacred words, it
seemed to her that she pronounced, instead, those very blasphemies, so
sharply was she tempted. All sorrowful and with a most touching
expression she used to say to her companions: "Ah! sisters, pray to

66 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

Jesus for me, lest, instead of praising God, I blaspheme Him !" It is
useless to attempt to prove what painful torture this temptation was to
her heart ; she who was so inflamed with the love of God and full of
zeal for His glory that she would have submitted to the most severe
labors, to the most cruel torments, even to be thrown alive into the fire,
that God might be loved, blessed, and glorified. Let anyone think
how deep a wound is naturally inflicted on one's heart by the hearing of
calumnies and maledictions uttered against the visible object he loves
and worships, and, worse, to find himself provoked to become an accom
plice in them. Then comparing this earthly object, this worm crawl
ing along in the mud, filthy in the extreme, with the God of majesty,
of love, of glory, in whom all the beauties, and riches, and perfections
of creation are united, let him judge, as far as possible, of the intensity
of the sorrow that the above temptation caused to a soul like that of Saint
Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi. Hence, she continually practiced acts in oppo-
' sition to that inward temptation, and outwardly recited, as well as she
could use her voice, praises and benedictions to the Lord.

Following the temptation of blasphemy, another, one of contempt
for sacred images, came to assail her, the devil presenting to her all that
seems most silly and ridiculous in them, so that she had to make a great
effort to look at them with patient eyes. The enemy was vanquished by
her constancy. Whilst she not only venerated them more fervently and
contemplated them with presence of mind, praying before them, — God, to
the greater triumph of His invincible heroine, wrought several miracles,
through her intercession, on her behalf, or for others, as we shall see in
the course of this history, making use of the sacred images, that is, of
those very means of which the malignant enemy made use to assail and
fight her.

FOURTH TEMPTATION.
OF DESPAIR AND OF ABANDONING THE RELIGIOUS STATE.

The sagacious enemy of souls did not fail to take advantage of the
desolation and aridity of St. Mary Magdalen to assail her with a master
stroke on that side where she least suspected an attack. On account of
her excessive humility, as we have already seen, she readily believed
herself unworthy of the Divine favor, and rather deserving of any pun
ishment. Many of the beautiful communications, and many marked
I privileges by which God had favored her in the preceding years had
become like so many sharp thorns to her heart. She feared all might
have been illusion with her, and that now she was justly punished "for
them by the Divine Justice. Hence the devil redoubled his malign
forces, supposing it to be very easy to lead her, as if by the hand, and
by the road she herself had opened, though innocently and virtuously,
to the depths of the abyss of despair. He suggested to her the most
gloomy images of deceit, of terror, of vengeance. All was lost to her he
told her, and any effort to raise herself to God was useless, since
He had irrevocably rejected her; useless all prayers to appease Him
since the sentence of reprobation had already been pronounced against
er, and it was impossible to have it revoked ; useless all sacrifice

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 67

as God does not accept the offerings of reprobate souls. Satan told her
that Jesus, whom she called her Bridegroom, and in whom she delighted
so much, was but her enemy ; the most shameful and terrible conse
quences of His wrath she would soon feel, in the everlasting punishment
of her hypocrisy, her false devotion, and her continuous sinning. Dis
tressed and torn with anguish by such painful thoughts, especially by
that of being, through her own fault, separated from her good God, and,
seeing that her protestations of confidence and resignation were not
responded to as she wished, on account of the barrenness of her spirit, she
fell into such an excess of bitterness and discouragement that she posi
tively regarded death to be a lesser evil than the continuance of such a bad
life. "How," she would say, " can I live, being an enemy of God, and a
scandal to the monastery and the whole world?"

Thus she gradually came to wish for her death. Hotly pursued
more and more by her enemy and her own imagination, which at this
time was fully a prey to the phantom of terror, the thought made
its way into her mind that the best thing for her would be to put an end
to a life which had become to her wholly unbearable. It was the night
preceding the feast of St. Andrew, Apostle. Sister Mary Magdalen was
in the choir with the other sisters, reciting matin, when, carried away1 by
the vehemence of the temptation, she suddenly came out of the choir,
and, quickly crossing part of the corridor and some cells, reached the
dodr of the refectory towards which she was going. The pale light of a
community lamp, placed at the end of the corridor, shone into it through
two windows. The door of this room was not closed tightly, and
allowed a glimmer of light to reach the wash-room, which adjoined.
She entered this room, led more by her knowledge than by the feeble
light. Stopping at the first table she grabbed a knife, and, with it in
hand, she ran back to the choir so as not to give in to the infernal sug
gestion, but rather to obtain a more complete victory over the enemy,
for which end God permitted this aberration in her. In fact, she did
not perceive that she was noticed by all the nuns, and did not pay any
attention to them. They, naturally amazed at such a strange occur
rence, anxiously asked her the reason for it, but without answering she
swiftly ascended the Blessed Virgin's altar. There, placing the knife in
Mary's hands, she knelt and prayed before her for some time writh the
most touching expressions, asking her the grace to triumph over such a
temptation. Then descending to the ground and having placed that
same knife under her feet, she trampled upon it several times with the
greatest contempt, subduing by this act o f strong determination the enemy
and his arms. When she came to herself she continued with the nuns the
recital of the divine praises. Another time, in order that the like temp
tation would not go so far, she asked to be imprisoned in the cell of the
mother prioress, where God, to reward her humility, granted her some
thing of the old consolation, and strengthened her with new vigor to
resist victoriously in this spiritual combat. She well needed it, as Satan
was to attack her again, though less audacious in appearance, yet more
dangerous in his true nature. Without openly offending her faith the
enemy infested her mind, about the religious vocation, with such
J:li oughts as these : " Thou art damned by thine own will only ; thoti

68 THE LIFE AND WORKS OK

didst mistake thy vocation, and, therefore, thou walkest over a road
which for thee is all ruin. God wanted thee in the world, where thou
mightest have done much good for thyself and thy fellow-creatures.
Being a good mother of a family, thou wouldst have been the comfort of
thy partner, the salvation of thy children, the edification of all. See,
O wretched one, how much thou hast forever left behind thee!
Buried in this monastery, thou losest thyself, and savest nobody. Re
pair, therefore, whilst thou art able, at the present time, an evil which
is about to become irreparable. Divest thyself of this habit ; leave this
monastery ; go back to worldly society ; enter at once that road which
Providence has traced for thee." So sagaciously importunate was this
infernal enemy becoming in order to seduce the Virgin of Christ; but
he found her to be so strong a bulwark that the arrows sent against it
returned with double fury to the point of starting. One day, in order to
overcome the attack, which was unusually overpowering, with a rope
around her neck and her hands tied behind her, like one condemned to
death, she went to the mother prioress, and in the presence of some sisters,
asked, for the love of God, the religious habit. At another time, on a
similar occasion, and perhaps a graver one, as she was particularly
tempted to go to the main door to leave the cloister while the doorkeeper
was absent, she ran to take the keys of the monastery, and, to confound
the devil more, went to lay them at the foot of the Crucifix. Thus she
bafHed the artifices of hell. She wept inconsolably over the sins she
feared she was committing, judging herself to be the greatest sinner in
the world, and, therefore, unworthy of living in the sacred cloister.
She used to wonder why the earth did not open under her feet, espe
cially when she was approaching Holy Communion. For all this God
rewarded her, and gloriously placed her above all snares, no matter how
malignant and formidable.

FIFTH TEMPTATION.
OF PRIDE AND DISOBEDIENCE.

The arm of terror having proved of no avail to overthrow this
valiant servant of Jesus, Lucifer turned his efforts to inspire her with
his dearest sentiment, by which he sits over all, as prince in the kino-.
dom of darkness, crowned with a crown of ignomy, of opprobium, and
pt torment Always a liar, and inconsistent, as are also all his followers
I in this world, he pretended to make her grow proud by the very means
had used to draw her to despair. He would place under her
eyes the many gifts with which God had endowed her, both in nature
1 m virtue; the many celestial and extraordinary favors which proved
I 7°n(la d°Ubt; the many communications of special love
7 T/1 DlVme, ?-P°USe ; ^rytKng, in a word, that could
n meHtt £ ^ '° d£h*ht/nd ^ory, and believe herself superior

suhmi t V n f H,C SUddenly filled her With a repugnance to
submit to the will of another, as if she were one who beim? guided

frwT^WV?^ n°,hUman C°Unsd> nor to strict! "fol

ow the orders of the Religion, which savors too much of materiality

and, therefore, suits but rude and imperfect souls. But, oh ! how

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 69

L,ucifer deceived himself when he hoped to shake and vanquish St. Mary
Magdalen, in humility and obedience, virtues that were so deeply and firmly
rooted in her that she seemed confirmed in them by the divine grace, as
the Apostles were confirmed in all of them after the descent of the Holy
Ghost. In fact, though strongly molested, it was not difficult for her
to oppose contrary acts, as her habits naturally and easily led her to
them. There was no case in which she was led to transgress the least
rule or order of the superioress ; nay, by the very reason of being tempted,
she became more solicitous and exact, both in humbling herself and in
obeying. Sometimes she would renew in the presence of the other
nuns the vow of obedience to the superioress ; often she would have her
command her, in virtue of this obedience, to do all that was prescribed
for her, and especially that towards which she had felt a repugnance.
She submitted herself to all, and begged of all to humble and mortify her,
in order, she said, that her pride might not be lifted up. In a particular
manner, in order to derive from it the most legitimate and prompt effect,
she requested it of the superioress, who, to please her in so holy a desire,
and that her soul might be enriched more and more with celestial
riches, now ordered her to ask pardon of the nuns, sometimes separately,
sometimes all together in the refectory ; now- she ordered her to dis
cipline herself or be disciplined by others ; now, with a rope around her
neck and her hands tied behind, she directed her to kiss the nuns' feet
under the tables of the refectory. At times, she would make her get up
from her seat and go around begging a little bread from the others for
the love of God, and, having got it, eat it in the middle of the refectory.
Knowing that from being thus mortified she truly derived great spiritual
benefit, the superioress would address her with words of reproach and
contempt ; she also charged other sisters to do the' same. When they
did this, out of obedience, the Saint stopped and listened to them with
great modesty. Kneeling at their feet, and calling herself a sinner, she
asked their pardon, ending with this motto, as humble in her sentiment
as she was sincere : " May God count it as merit for you." Though the
superioress knew that some apparent faults during the time of such a
terrible combat were, in our Saint, rather the consequence of the fierce
temptations assailing her, yet, for such faults, though they were most
trifling, she bitterly reproached her before all. She imposed public
penances on her, as, for instance, making her stretch herself on the floor
before the doors through which all the nuns had to pass, they care
fully trampling upon her ; tying her, with her hands behind, in some
part of the monastery, where, all meeting, .every one of the sisters
said something to mortify her. Moreover, keeping her continually
occupied in the low duties of the kitchen, carrying hot coals or wood,
drawing water, making fire, fixing and sweeping, or doing any
other humiliating thing in the monastery, such as is imposed on the least
of the servants. In a word, either by the direct will of God, or by His
permission, this rather trying proceeding of the sisters, and the still more
trying one of the superioress, were for her efficacious fires in the crucible
of spiritual perfection on which she rested for these five years. She,
who really felt in her soul the benefit of it, so cheerfully accepted all
such things, that she seemed to have no other comfort in all trials than

7O THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

to be humiliated and despised ; and she so truly delighted in them, that,
being without them, she would seek after them, and sometimes take
them of her own choice. On the eve of All Saints, in the year 1588,
feeling herself greatly tempted to be disobedient, she blindfolded herself,
and got a lay-sister, who supposed she had the permission of the
superioress to do it, to tie her hands behind her with a rope, and then
fasten her to some posts in the neighborhood of the choir. Being seen
in such a condition by the mother prioress, and asked the reason why,
she replied that she had done it because she had felt some difficulty in
obeying; and, as her will was against binding herself to the sweet bond
of obedience, therefore it was proper that her body should be bound by
these ropes. With great fervor, she then begged that she would charge
all the nuns, on entering the choir, to say these words to her, for her
greater confusion : ' l Sister Mary Magdalen, learn to do as thou pleasest."
The prioress did this, and all the nuns obeyed, though much confused
and touched by the heroic virtue their dear sister practiced in that act,
at the end of which she thanked them all and asked their forgiveness.
Thus do the Saints act. God would not leave without some immediate
reward a work of such marked perfection in His most faithful champion.
No sooner was the bandage removed, and the rope loosened, than —
turning her eyes for a moment to that part of the choir which was
visible, seeing a Crucifix, and thinking of how much He suffered
for our salvation — she was rapt in an ecstasy, during which she was
wonderfully consoled, instructed, and strengthened by the divine love.
Another time, in the same manner, and for the same end — self-abase
ment — she got some one to fasten her to the grates of the choir, and
obtained permission from the superioress that all the sisters should say
to her : " Sister Mary Magdalen, this has befallen thee on account of thy
faults, and because thou wantest to act too much according to thy will."
Again, on another day, while she was contemplating — ecstatically — the ex
cessive pains of the Divine Saviour, and becoming inflamed with the desire
of imitating Him, she had an inspiration that it would be pleasing
to Him if she were voluntarily to lie stretched across the door of the
choir by which the nuns, who were inside, would necessarily have to
come out. She did this with all solicitude and fidelity ; and the nuns,
in customary obedience imposed by the superioress, became to her a
repeated instrument of mortification. Thus, then, would she be humbled
and despised, who, among them all, was a mirror of obedience; and thus
the temptations, far from being to her a cause of loss, increased her
merit and strengthened her in virtue.

SIXTH TEMPTATION.

OF GLUTTONY AND .OF IMPURITY — TO CONQUER THIS LATTER
SHE THROWS HERSELF AMONG THORNS.

That instinct of nature which leads us to wish for what we have not
yet tasted, now troubled our Saint in a persistent manner ; and he who
tempted Christ in the desert presented ta her imagination whatever was
most pleasing to the palate to induce her to wish for new and delicate

In the same year in which she makes her vow of virginity, she
receives a precious ring from her Divine Spouse (page 22).

70

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 71

viands, but, much more, to make her break the rule received from God,
of living only on bread and water. So rigid and constant a fast dis
pleased the enemy too much. If the body be well fed, he well knows how
to use it to the detriment of the soul. He occupied himself, therefore,
with great skill in entering this door, which, being the least suspected
of possible danger, made the access easier. Very often during the day,
when Sister Mary Magdalen, on account of her excessive abstinence,
though approved of by God, felt a natural need of better nourishment,
the enemy would inflame her with so violent a desire for some food, that
sometimes she would show all those restless motions of the tongue and
mouth that are wont to seize an extremely hungry and impatient person.
Sumptuous tables and exquisite viands would then present themselves
to her imagination, and particularly in passing the cupboards in which
the supplies for the community were kept under key, she was so vividly
affected that to her it seemed as though everything were exposed, and
she even felt some sensations gratifying to her taste. With such sights
and imaginary tastings she continued to be molested, even in the act of
prayer, and sometimes in the very act of receiving Holy Communion ;
so that it was most painful for her, in so far as it was not only contrary to
the virtue of abstinence, so much practiced by her, but also to her natural
inclination, by which, to say the least, she always abhorred gluttony.
She said once to a sister, that God would not let her be troubled by the
devil in anything that would molest her so much as this ; because glut
tony seemed to her so unbecoming and ugly a vice, that she felt that no
other temptation would humble and degrade her so much as this one.
But the enemy, with all his violence, could not succeed in making her
appetite for eating and drinking prevail and overcome our abstinent and
mortified Magdalen. Even in regard to natural needs, she knew so exactly
how to keep herself within the rule God had given her, that the devil came
out of the combat confused and ashamed, and she with a new source of
merit. The malign suggestion thus progressing by the way of the senses,
he, who was not allowed to tempt Christ, because He was God, against so
delicate and noble a virtue, did not let this sacred virgin go without
making her pay the tribute almost common to human flesh. Though
God had privileged her with so many favors, He would not have her
altogether exempt from the struggle in which the children of men have
to engage, for this angelic virtue of chastity. This is the most familiar,
powerful, and efficacious arm the enemy finds in us against ourselves.
This is the bait, by the seducing force of which, unfortunately, many
persons illustrious for talent, learning, courage, and also for virtue, have
succumbed. This is the passion which, exciting the lower part of our
nature so unbecomingly, causes such a disorder and darkening of the
powers, such enervation of the natural virtue, that it almost leads man
to the brute state ; and, therefore, this is the road by which the greatest
number of souls are irreparably lost. The impure enter not the
Kingdom of Heaven, and to the nuptial chamber of the Lamb of God
only the virgins have access, and they accompany Him whithersoever He
goeth, singing with Him that celestial epithalamium which they alone
have learned. These virgins are particularly the chosen ^ ones the
flower of the Church of Jesus Christ, by whom He glorifies Himself, and

72 THE LIKE AND WORKS OF

who will ever be found in this, His earthly paradise, and will afterwards
adorn the heavenly one.

Sister Mary Magdalen was certainly a precious plant of this paradise,
and the Divine Bridegroom gave evident signs of the delight He took in
her virginity. Now, in order that her victories might be complete, and the
triumph over this strong antagonist would be another gem in her crown,
God permitted that for two years, that is, from 1585 to 1587, she would
suffer in her body spurs of impure sensuality, and in her mind, impure
fancies. But being generally accustomed to opposing and denying in
herself even every desire and the least satisfaction of the sense ; bound by
a particular vow to this celestial virtue, even from the age of ten years ;
having guarded this virtue both in her mind and in her body with a
perfection more angelic than human, she knew so well how to shield
herself from the spurs, though most vehement, of concupiscence ; that
not only her pure soul was not stained by it in the least, but she
did not even apprehend what the devil wanted with such temptations.
In the midst of them and during all her lifetime she always maintained
herself in such simplicity and innocence, that when advanced in years,
nay, being near to death, she said, as a solemn proof of the all-powerful
virtue of the grace of Jesus Christ, which alone supports and strengthens
corruptible human nature, that she ignored everything that sullied
chastity. This was said in answering a novice who spoke to her in con
fidence, fearing that she had contracted some stain. From this we infer
as certain, either that God by a singular favor would not permit that
so pure a soul, accustomed to raise itself and dwell among elevated
and divine things, should be oppressed by such vile objects ; or that she,
by the divine grace, was so careful and prompt in rejecting the imagina
tions, and did so much violence to her mind in quenching the impure
flames of sensuality, as not to permit herself to make the shortest reflec
tion on them, or give them the simplest thought. Though she appre
hended them as an evil thing, yet she never came to understand their
object, or their intrinsic malice — a rare privilege that God grants only to
those souls that are destined to enjoy the rest of contemplation on the
very breast of the Divine Love, as was the case of John alone among
the Apostles. But this bride of Christ, extremely jealous of the integrity
of her purity, was not satisfied with the opposition she offered to these
temptations by her intellect and will ; and, feeling that a vice of sense
and flesh proceeded from them, she began to chastise her own flesh with
renewed zeal and excessive rigor. Besides taking but sparingly of bread
and water; besides sleeping on the bare straw-bed, and this only for a
short time ; besides doing the daily work of the servants of the monas
tery, in which she engaged day and night, very often she would scourge
herself piteously with iron instruments, gird herself with a very sharp
cilicium, and treat her body in the worst and most excruciating manner.
She even made herself a girdle of nails set in canvas, the points of which,
projecting, horribly pierced her bare body, on which she wore that
instrument of penance invented by her taste for suffering. All this was
a great, but not altogether unusual, torment for her body. A wonder
fully extraordinary one was that which she devised and executed on the
eighth day of September, 1587. Feeling tempted in the flesh by a strong

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 73

fire of impure sensuality, and as it seemed to her that she did not wholly
quench it with all her inward efforts, she entered the room where the
wood was kept, picked out the thorns and sticks she found there,
and making a bundle of them, carried it to a more remote room.
Shutting the door, she undressed, and like the glorious St. Benedict,
placing it on the floor, she laid on it, and with great courage rolled her
body over it, so that she was all scratched and wounded to such an
extent that not only the thorns but also the floor was red with her
blood, as the nuns witnessed, who found her there dressing herself.
Thus those thorns, blossoming through her pure blood, became a crown
to her virginity and infrangible arrows that subdued the enemy of purity
and made him blush for shame on account of the intrepidity and
heroism with which he was vanquished. When I think of the ex
ample she has left us, I cannot understand why we feel such little shame
as we look at our mode of life, so much opposed to this virtue. Most
Christians, not to speak of unbelievers and bantering philosophers, who yet
wish to be saved, pretend to use such different means in defense of this
virtUe — so delicate as to be likened unto a looking-glass, which is tar
nished by the lightest breath. I do not know how they regard this virtue,
who, professing to follow it to the most severe perfection, yet live among
the comforts of gluttony, of sleep, and of soft feathers ; and place them
selves among so many attractions, of movements, of forms, of graces, of
words which are most powerful incentives to lust. Quite opposite was
the view that the Saints took of it ; and of truth, we must all be out of
the right path, if we pretend to say that they deluded themselves in
their excessive zeal, or that God, contradicting Himself, wishes to
save anyone who throws himself among the impure flames of sin and
lives in the midst of them. Different by far, from the life led to-day by
their respective followers, were the lives of the Apostles, their 'disciples,
the primitive Christians, the inhabitants of the desert, the founders of
the Religious Orders, and their first followers ; of so many martyrs,
confessors, and sacred virgins of centuries gone by.

SEVENTH TEMPTATION.

SHE IS VISIBLY ASSAILED AND TORMENTED BY THE DEVIL, AND
COMES OUT VICTORIOUS.

Before proceeding to describe the personal and visible assaults
St. Mary Magdalen had to endure from the devil, it behooves me to
declare what the profession of faith of every Christian must be in regard
to such things. Let not the pious reader regret this deviation from our
history, little opportune though it maybe for him, as it is very important
that we blunt the cynical sneer by which most people m our days
answer the narration of diabolical influences, when they do not go so far
as to openly deny them. It will be better for this book to be at times
not altogether meant for the man more learned than devout, rather than to
come to be considered as nothing more than a work worthy only o
going through the hands of nuns and devotees, and no farther. Now
Mos?s the oldest of historians, the sublimest of philosophers, the wisesi

74 THE LIFK AND WORKS OF

of legislators, in presenting to us the grand spectacle in which God by
His word created heaven and earth, and made man to His own image
(and in man all mankind is included), paints for us the original state of
innocence and happiness, and then the malice of the spirit tempter, and
his appearance under the form of a serpent, and the fall of Adam and
Bve, most fatal to their posterity. From Adam to Moses it was believed,
at least by Abraham's descendants, that God having from the beginning—
viz., before He made man — created His angels pure spirits, and free from
all matter, and having placed them in a condition in which they were
free to secure their eternal happiness by voluntarily submitting to their
Creator, some of them permitted themselves to be seduced by their self-
love, so that from luminous spirits they were changed into spirits of dark
ness. Such belief was more clearly expounded from the epoch of Moses
to that of Jesus Christ. In the Paralipomenons, in the Psalms, in Isaias,
in Zacharias, and more distinctly in Job, we read of the apparitions and
the power of Satan, prince of demons, to harm us mortals. Thus in
the same book, and again in Daniel and in the book of Wisdom, open
and clear mention is made of a place of eternal torment destined for
rebellious angels and wicked men. Though at times idolatry deluged the
earth, and ignorance and blindness enveloped men in numberless errors,
still the idea that between God and man there were intermediate spirits,
good and evil, was not obliterated by the Pagans, as we are assured by
the authority of Plato, of Xenophon, of Apuleius, of Ptolemy, and other
Pagan writers. The existence of a future life was also universally
felt, though man was forgetting himself in a thousand vagaries by im
agining it to be such as to suit his senses. The dreams of the metempsy-
chosists, the court of justice of Minosses and Radamantes, the occupation
of Charon, the Elysium and the Tartarus of mythology, are so many
evident witnesses of the belief of all nations in the existence of beings
superior to us by nature, and of a justice without appeal awaiting us at
the end of this life. But whatever preceded the coming of Jesus Christ
was but the effort of that insuperable tendency impressed by the Creator
on the human soul, which could not and should not have its completion
until the appearance of the splendor of divine revelation. No sooner
did Jesus Christ appear on earth in His mortal flesh than those sparks
of eternal truth, which had predisposed the human soul to it, became
shining torches, at the light of which the entire world bowed its head.
The doctrine of Jesus Christ, announced by example before it was by
word, and afterwards confirmed by miracles, was destined to convert the
universe. The Apostles preached it everywhere, and sealed it with their
blood. During the persecutions by the emperors, whose pride was
wounded to the quick by the principles of Christian equality, the fol
lowers of Christ died for the faith, and, by their example, hundreds and
thousands of idolaters were awakened to profess the doctrines received
from the Apostles. The more tyrants invented tortures, the more was
the courage of the martyrs increased against the fury of their perse
cutors.

The Church, already formed with St. Peter as the legitimate suc
cessor of the Divine Master, passed triumphantly through the space
of centuries. For eighteen centuries, from age to age, from people

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 75

to people, she brought everywhere the name and the glory of her
Founder. And we have her to-day as Jesus Christ established her. The
sacred deposit of the Gospel, during the succession of two hundred and
fifty-nine Pontiffs, through the most extraordinary vicissitudes, was not
altered one syllable. Anyone can convince himself of it by a comparison
with the oldest code. The Gospel, then, so much extolled to-day even
by laymen and politicians, assuring us of the existence, sometimes even
visible, of the good angels, clearly describes in the Apocalypse the fight
which took place between the Archangel Michael and Lucifer, and the
victory of the one over the other. It also describes hell, the place of
all torments, into which the angels who rebelled have been thrown,
and to which all who die in mortal sin shall be condemned. Giving to
Lucifer the name Dragon, it will lead us to understand that his celestial
knowledge and that of his followers was changed into ambitious cun
ning ; that a malign envy took in them the place of charity, and their
natural, greatness was turned into pride. Their happiness then became
the sad satisfaction of securing companions for the abyss of miseries
to which they had been sentenced, and their occupation the vile employ
ment of seducing the universe. St. Peter represents the devil to us
as a roaring lion going around to devour souls. St. Paul exhorts
us with the most ardent zeal to stand prepared against the snares of
Satan, the prince of this world — that is, of all the wicked. All the four
Evangelists unanimously relate many facts in which the devils visibly
used their malice to the damage of humanity. Besides the audacity of
Satan in presenting himself to Christ in the desert, and taking Him by
the hand to tempt Him repeatedly, they relate how the same Divine
Redeemer, in the presence of the multitude, delivered, not by any
chemical or magical preparation, but by a simple word, by His command,
various persons possessed and ill-treated by the devil. In some persons,
He added to this the miracle of an instantaneous cure from an antecedent
illness or defect of nature, as in the lunatic, in the deaf and dumb, and
in the blind and dumb. Whilst these miracles could not be wrought to
confirm an illusion, they stand as a most evident proof of the existence and
the power of the devils. Besides, these miracles were of such a Divine
character, that out of so many eyes riveted upon Christ, and so many ears
attentive to His words, and so many enemies striving to charge Him
with being an impostor, there was not one who succeeded in raising a
doubt as to their reality. The Gospel goes on to relate how the Apostles
and the disciples, in the name and by the virtue of their Divine Master,
delivered many others possessed of the devil, sometimes accompany
ing this with miracles, for another end. In the annals of the Church we
find no person of any virtue who had not to endure terrible combats
with the devil ; and we read of many instances in which the devil,
assuming a visible form, attacked and .tormented persons of a holy life,
but who, triumphing through the Divine assistance, exercised also on
behalf of others the power of delivering those who are possessed, which
power Christ left to His bride, the Church. From the beginning of the
Christian era down to the last century, many have been the heretics,
who, with their false doctrines, tried to disturb Catholicity ; many have
been the dogmatical errors born of man's passions. But, among so

76 THE LIFE AND WORKS OK

many enemies and so many heresies, the existence and the nature of
pure spirits, the distinguishing of them into good and wicked, the
condemnation of these latter ones to eternal torment ; their sway over
us, — all these ideas which we derive from tradition, inspiration, reve
lation, and experience 'have been almost universally respected. This
deceitful triumph was reserved to the blind and proud delirium of the
revolutionists of the last decade of the past century, who, combining in
themselves all errors, tried to uproot and annihilate all truths, establish
ing the worship of the goddess Reason. What neither Celsus, nor
Porphyrius, nor Julian the Apostate dared to impugn, they all denied.
What always existed, and, consequently, what alone had the character of
truth, they pretended utterly to destroy. Everything was to give way
to Reason. And this worship, having degenerated into the most mon
strous tyranny, left such horrible traces of itself that everybody abhorred
following it. Terrorism having been assuaged, and more moderate,
though not less pernicious, maxims adopted, Rationalism, that, is, the
system of believing only what one understands, sprang up. What a dis
cordance of opinions this has necessarily caused, is evident and palpable
from the enormous gradation of human intelligence. We may compare
the light by which Catholicism triumphantly shines to the mid-day sun.
Some persons pretend to look at it as they would at a lantern, through the
corporal eye. Consequently, their sight is dazzled, and error takes pos
session of them. It is a sad misfortune that on this the indifference and
unbelief of to-day are based. Everybody wants to see, everybody wants to
reason, and with no other guide than that of caprice, interest, or ambition.
The sun of the Church of Christ, that measures its existence from the
birth of the world, is considered to-day as being unable to guide the steps
of man. And with a calm mind, even by persons of otherwise moderate
opinions, the existence of spirits, the power of the devils, hell itself,
and, consequently, the justice of God, and whatever belongs to this most
essential attribute, are denied. The excess of ignorance and contradic
tion lies in the audacity of those who boast of being followers of the
Gospel, whilst they believe of it only what they suppose will favor their
mode of thinking and living. To see Jesus Christ communing with the
plebeians, exhorting the masses, sitting at the table with the publicans,
picking out, as His first disciples, some fishermen — that is, free men in
the midst of the ocean, where no other law is known but that of heaven;
to see, in a word, Jesus Christ always pleasant, always meek with the
poor and afflicted, and, on the contrary, always severe with the rich, the
ambitious, the hypocrite, — all this pleases the world of to-day, that
would propose the Divine Redeemer as a model of democracy. This I
hold to be the only reason why such people believe in the sacred Gospel.
Hence, they reject severity of morals and purity of heart, because
these cost something to the appetites of carnal men. They reject what
the Divine Wisdom placed beyond the limits of human comprehension,
because earthly pride is unwilling to give way to mystery. They reject
the diabolical assaults and possessions, and the miracles, because to-day
they do not see the former, and the latter are not wrought as those same
unbelievers would like to see them. They are similar in this to the
Pharisees of old, who asked Christ to confirm His works by showing

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 77

them some celestial prodigy. Finally, they reject the authority of the
Church, because her ministers, they ^ay, are men of vices and crimes.
Which, alas ! being sometimes true, instead of hurting, offers one of the
most convincing proofs of the infallible and perpetual governmtnt of
God over the Catholic Church. A moment's reflection will show how
repugnant to good sense is this injustice of refusing to admit alike all
the facts which proceed from the same principle of authority. As the
faith of Christ tolerates no compromise, and as there is no article in the
Gospel which claims our submission less than another, it follows that,
if we refuse belief in the existence, the power, and even the visible work
of the infernal spirits against man, in so far as God permits, we will be
heretics and infidels, like those who deny all. If our belief in what
remains proceeds not from God, it must simply be an illusion that will
inevitably make us the victims of eternal misfortune. In so far as our
dignity inspires us with hopes above those of the brutes, let us, at least,
keep our faith intact, not going forward into it with that fatal why which
caused the apostasy and condemnation of so many illustrious men. L,et
us also appreciate what is suggested to us by the divine poet : —

" Mortals, remain contented at the Quia;
For, if he had been able to see all,
No need there were for Mary to give birth."

—DANTE, Purg., C. III.

From the fierce persecutions with which hell assaulted St. Mary
Magdalen De-Pazzi let us learn how precious virtue is, and how im
portant the salvation of a soul washed in the blood of Jesus Christ.

To our Saint it was also reserved to suffer torments in her body at
the hands of the devil, in order that, like wheat chosen for paradise, she
should pass through the hardships of all kinds of suffering, and, like gold
well refined in the crucible of torments, she should become more puri
fied for the glory of heaven, there to shine with most brilliant splendor.
God gave liberty to the devils to torment her in all her senses; and they
did so with so much vehemence and fury, that particularly through the
eyesight, the hearing, and the sense of feeling, they persecuted her greatly
above the ordinary strength of human nature. They appeared to her in
horrible forms — now of lions or rabid dogs, now of serpents or savage
animals, and always in the act of assailing and devouring her. These
a-saults would leave her livid and chilled as if in agony. " O Sister,"
she said once to a confidant of hers, "just imagine how much this hor
rible sight of the devils must grieve my soul!" Another time, while
she perspired excessively on account of the agitation caused her by the
devil appearing to her in a monstrous shape, she called to her help St.
Michael the Archangel, and then, turning to a Crucifix, she exclaimed:
" O Word, O Word ! hi te, Domine, speravi, non confundar in czternum! '-
"In Thee, O Lord, I trusted, I shall not be confounded forever" (Ps.
Ixx, i). Then turning to the enemy: "What dost thou want of me,
horrible beast ? O bone Jesu! by the sight of the offenses offered to Thy
Divine Majesty, and by this of my adversaries, I seem to taste hell. But
if you devils swallow me, you will be compelled to throw me
up » Aeain, finding herself alone in a room, she was heard to combat
with the devil, saving to him : " Depart from me, vile beast; what dosi

78 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

thou want of me?" And, as if he attempted to insult her, she would
again repeat: "Depart and do not approach me; I tell thee to take
thyself away in the name of Jesus, and if I can order thee to do it, I
order it." And then she prayed to God to lend her assistance. She was
over two hours in this contest. Being asked by the superioress about
what had happened, she told how the devil, in the form of a frightful
beast, threatened to devour her. She was a martyr because of the
torment with which her hearing was afflicted, as we have already said in the
Third Temptation, for howls, roars, and blasphemies continuallyresounded
in her ears, with such force and persistence that often it was found
necessary to shake her bodily, that she might hear the human voice.
The psalmody of the choir was heard by her only as a confused murmur.
But the sense of feeling was the one which was to bring her the first
palm of martyrdom. The devils threw to the ground that noble and
tender body, weakened by her penances, in such a violent manner, that,
to anyone who saw her, it was a wonder that she remained alive. The
nuns who witnessed her actions were amazed at seeing her thrown to the
ground, her body prone, making gesticulations and motions — now with
the head, now with the arms, now with the feet — as if she were being
struck, and then — all sadness — become pale and trembling. After having
continued for three, four, or even five hours in this agony, she would
appear with wounds and bruises, or, at least, extraordinarily weak in
body. She herself would then relate, in obedience to the interrogation
of the superioress, how the devils, having thrown her to the ground,
struck and scourged her with hard sticks, or, turning themselves into
vipers and serpents, entwined themselves around her, and bit her, so
that she could not keep from writhing, as she felt such pain as though
they were tearing her limbs to pieces. Neither time nor place gave
truce to so painful a struggle. Sometimes in the choir she was thrown
to the ground and struck during the recital of the divine office and in
assisting at Holy Mass. One day in particular, she was struck so heavily
in the face that it swelled, and it became necessary to doctor it for some
time. Several times she was thrown down the stairs, and especially
whilst she was going to Holy Communion, or to do some charitable
deed. In this, though, the wonderful and miraculous assistance of God
was made manifest. Being precipitated with great violence down a
flight of twenty-six stone steps, it repeatedly happened that the nuns
who had run at the noise, instead of finding her mangled would see her,
to their ineffable wonder, safe and sound, arising in all tranquillity and
continuing her occupation. It also happened that the devils dragged
her through the choir, the corridors, and the cells of the monastery ;
but to the sisters who witnessed such struggles, it was not given to see
the hand that produced them, nor to afford opportune help to the
sufferer. One evening, the Saint was in the room of the prioress when
she was suddenly thrown to the ground. Her throat and face began to
swell, and being forced to cough, as if she were being choked, pro
fusely perspiring, she was heard to say : " I die ! I die ! I am choked ! "
This strange occurrence, which was the work of diabolical artifices on
this meek virgin, lasted three hours. After that time, she was free
from pain for several days. All these things happened under the eyes

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

79

of the nuns. All she outwardly suffered from terrors, torments, and
contests, she made sufficiently clear when she said that, between the
interior temptations and the external combats, she was so much occupied
that time was not left her to offer herself to God. Most wonderful mys
tery of the Divine Will in so innocent a creature!

As this noble virgin entered with invincible spirit this den of
infernal lions, boldly answering to the first assault — u Sufficit mihi gratia
tua" — so she persevered in it for five years, never yielding to fear or diffi
dence. She unflinchingly resisted, with vigor and valor, all the con
spiracies of hell against her. The serenity of her countenance did not
grow cloudy in the midst of so many sorrows and shades of evil sug
gestion ; her heart did not grow despondent when seized by so much
aridity of spirit and in the absence of spiritual consolation ; she did not
complain of the bitterness of the pains she felt in her body, made a
target for Lucifer's hatred. Always meek and peaceful amidst all manner
of snares, always full of hope in God, and always firm and constant,
even in the greatest and most dangerous struggles — a lament never
escaped that angelic mouth ; a motion was never noticed which might
impair the equanimity of that spirit, always immovable in its resolution
to please God whether in consolation or in affliction. Though from the
physical torments she would grow pale and tremble in the heat of the
fight, yet, with a more heavenly than earthly countenance, she would
utter these words: "My Jesus, where art Thou?" The nuns some
times insisted on affording relief to her in the excess of her suffering, but
she would peacefully answer them : u Do you not remember that these
things must be, and that it is the Divine Will I should pass through
these temptations ? Let the devils do what they will, I know the Lord
will not permit them to do more than my spirit can bear." Sometimes
smiling at the very torments, she would say to the devil: "And after
thou shalt have tormented me as thou wishest, what shalt thou have
obtained? At any rate, Benedicam Dominum in omni temper e, semper
laus ejus in ore meo " — u I will bless the Lord at all times ; His praise
shall be always in my mouth" (Ps. xxxiii, i). One day, to reproach
them for their" impotence, after she had been thrown twice to the ground,
she said to the devils : " You can only do to me what my Spouse per
mits you to do." And she said particularly to one devil: "I do not deny
thy being strong, horrible beast, and my being, of myself, weak ; but
the Lord is near me, who is infinitely more powerful than thou." And,
addressing them all, she said : " Do you not perceive, foolish and igno
rant, that I am with my Jesus, and you can do me no harm ? Do you
not perceive, also, that with all your attacks you will make me a more
glorious victor ? " Encouraged by celestial protection, she showed her
self to them in the act of triumphing. When she saw them in the choir
trying to suggest vain thoughts to the minds of the nuns, to distract
them from the divine praises ; when in the Communion chapel, to prevent
their being recollected in God for that great act, and, in hearing God £
Word, to distract them with untimely ideas ; when in the refectory, t<
stimulate their sense of gluttony to cause illness, and to withdraw their at
tention from the spiritual reading ; when in the work-room, or in oti
places of ordinary exercises, to make them slow and negligent ;-

80 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

trepid, the cross in one hand and the discipline in the other, was chasing
them all around, saying to the nuns : ' * Don't you see that all the monastery
is infested by devils, who stay around us to tempt us ?" Being asked why
she made no effort in the direction of the chapter, to shake the devils
from it, she replied that they did not enter that place because of the acts
of humility and mortification that were performed in it.

We being docile, therefore, to the suggestions and teachings of the
Catholic doctrine about the existence, nature, and condition of the infernal
spirits, the facts of St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi's life thus far narrated
are for us an ulterior confirmation of these things, as may be seen by the
most obvious reasoning. In a soul naturally so good, so well cultivated by
education and virtue, so favored by divine grace, such a contradiction of
sentiments could not, of itself, appear so suddenly. Neither could that
principle of sin, which unhappily is rooted in tmr hearts, pass to the act
of molesting us, except by the force of exterior seducing circumstances,
or by one's own wicked will. This is afterwards followed by fanaticism,
as a consequence of it, and, at the same time, a cause of irregular and
perverse imaginations. Outside of these causes, every movement arising
in us which is opposed to the eternal law can be caused but by the
external suggestions with which the devils go about seeking our ruin.
Hence, this creature, ever innocent, protected by the sacred cloister and
the devout practices, in common and in private, which she performed
in it, with the most firm and constant disposition to throw herself
into the fire rather than to commit sin, had an imagination which, if
capable of excess, must be of virtue, and not of vice. These wicked
tendencies, especially to blasphemy, cannot be attributed to anything
but to the art of the devil. Nor can the sad phenomena of her body be
explained by any other cause. Her physical condition, according to the
testimony of the first doctors then in Florence, was not subject to any
organic affection ; and the faculties of her soul, whose witnesses were
her spiritual directors, who carefully studied everything extraordinary
that happened in her, were never diverted from their freedom of action,
though their activity sometimes would not correspond to her desire.
Finally, in addition, the fact that she specifically foretold this infernal com
bat, determining even the time, which, having been literally verified, seals
the truth of the things above related with a most marked divine charac
ter. It remains now for our instruction, that in the incontestable evi
dence of this personal struggle, excited by hell more as a revenge than a
simple temptation, and perceiving the rare sanctity of our Magdalen, we
learn what power the devil has over us, and what and how great is the
assistance of God in our behalf, whenever we do not render ourselves
unworthy of it. And if such excessive and extraordinary aggressions
are not heard of in our days, and we have no reason to fear that we may
suffer them ourselves, we should fear none the less the ordinary temp
tations tending more adroitly, though less openly, to lead us to per
dition. Especially should we fear the living persons of whom the devil
commonly makes use to interfere with our welfare, to divert us from the
right path, and to ruin us utterly.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI. 8 1

EIGHTH TEMPTATION.

SHE IS MOLESTED AND CONTRADICTED BY HER NUNS.

Unhappy is the man who fastens all his happiness to the opinion
or the plaudits of the world. He lies down in the evening with but one
thought, awakes in the morning with but one hope, and passes the day
in seeing the dreams of the night vanish one by one. And if sometimes
worldly laurels carry one triumphantly to the summit of the Capitol, ordi
narily this serves but to hasten the ignominy of the Tarpejan rock. Well
does the Holy Ghost warn us that cursed is the man who puts his trust
and his happiness in another man. When we base our judgment on the
estimation of others, in most cases our logic gives way to incoherence
and folly. Our soul, created to the image of God, cannot be judged but
by principles proceeding from God Himself ; otherwise, we will estimate
one another with the most monstrous injustice and unreasonable
ness. Experience teaches us this every day. To-day we raise to the
sky what we shall to-morrow cast into the abyss ; to-day we erect the
gibbet for him whom but yesterday we placed on the throne. The
thousand motives which now incline us in favor of a person, are shortly
afterwards turned into so many motives to condemn him, without
the least remembrance of his worth. What more powerful and efficacious
example of this can be found, than that which Jesus Christ Himself
wished to leave us in His own person ? He, acclaimed by the people as
the new King of Israel, made His triumphant entry into the earthly
Jerusalem, where everybody vied in addressing Him with words of joy and
acclamation. His most innocent life, His most wonderful doctrine, His
modesty, benignity, meekness, — all His virtues and His many miracles had
finally brought the people to acknowledge His mission. But as those men
still looked at Jesus Christ with a carnal eye, therefore, by the volubility
and inconstancy of earthly vision, a few days afterwards the most
horrible, the most execrable, and the most monstrous of crimes was com
mitted by those very men against the sacred person of the Divine Re
deemer. They had forgotten everything that a few moments before had
moved them in His favor. Even the Apostles, already well purified in
the spiritual sight, forgot somewhat the virtue of their Divine Master,
although they had been for a long time the eye-witnesses thereof.
The prophecies were thus fulfilled, and the way of light and truth
was thrown wide open to us. Walking in it, let us not look for any
reward from the world other than that of ingratitude and calumny.
"Everyman," even Seneca says, " who walks in the right path must
never get discouraged, nor stop at the shocks of falsehood that will assail
him without fail." Our Saint, being so zealous an imitator of the suffer
ings of our Divine Saviour, was to partake also in some manner of the
mortification of the unjust judgment of the world. Domestic demons-
demons clothed in human flesh— were to make her feel their wickedness.
She had, inspired by her Spouse Jesus, foretold to the sisters, as Christ
did to His Apostles, that in the time of her tribulation they would turn
against her, as we have already seen in the beginning of this chapter ; and
to the nun who, like Peter, declared herself the most firm and faithful, she

82 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

answered that before the rest did so, she would have given up her favor
able opinion of her. The sisters saw that what she had foretold about
this tribulation had come to pass ; they were cognizant of the exquisite
virtues which adorned her soul; they knew that the spirit of God
guided her constantly, even in the midst of the fiercest enemies. They
could not, in the least, doubt that she would valiantly resist all the in
fernal assaults, or that her pristine purity would suffer the least taint.
Notwithstanding this, they all waged such war against her, that no mat
ter how much we wish to ascribe this to Divine permission, it was noth
ing, in fact, but the immediate effect of human ignorance and perversity.
She was no more, for them, the former Magdalen ; the austerity of her
past savored of ostentatious piety, and some even doubted that it might
be but apparent, as the under-cook one day, being in the adjacent
room for the purpose of preparing fruits for dinner, saw a sister who
perfectly resembled Sister Mary Magdalen enter the kitchen, and,
approaching the pot, take therefrom a piece of meat, with the appear
ance of a desire to eat it. She was so scandalized at it, that, having
spoken of it with very little discretion, she raised in a short time a great
prattle at the expense of our Saint, and, out of about eighty female and
claustral tongues composing that religious family, every one had to
utter her word of criticism about this occurrence. Likewise, another
time, at night, a sister of the appearance of Sister Mary Magdalen was
seen to steal into a room and take something to eat. But in the first
and in the second case the nuns were quieted down, though not all of
them were convinced until an eye-witness asserted having seen Sister
Mary Magdalen elsewhere at the time of the above-related occurrences,
viz. : at the time of the first one, in the chapter ; and at the time of the
second one, in the oratory of the novitiate. So that all those who had
no difficulty in lending belief to such an assertion, and, on the other
hand, would not countenance a mere calumny, had to infer that the
devil, in both cases, had assumed the form of our Saint, and thus shown
himself in those actions to discredit her. The fact is, that out of so
many nuns, only two remained constant, that is, receded less than the
others from the favorable opinion they had of this holy and noble virgin.
The ecstasies and the extraordinary favors which had appeared so evi
dent in her that there was not the least reason for doubting them, were
now reputed to be mere frauds and diabolical illusions. Her many suffer
ings during this time of desolation and trial were now believed to be con
sequences of ill-will, or caprice, or, at least, negligence, because of which
such strange things justly happened to her. The very miracles, as we will
see, wrought through her at that time did not suffice to make the sisters
hold the requisite good opinion of her. Hence, those among the sisters
who were inclined to judge her with more benignity, and not to treat her as
a hypocrite or a dreamer, considered her guilty of sloth. We may infer from
this how many afflictions and what ill-treatment Magdalen had to endure
for so long a time, and in so numerous a gathering of religious persons.
When it is a question of hunting up the peculiarity of anyone living
with them, who may be a standing reproach to their tepidity, they are
worse than any class of lay-persons. Just as the Pharisees cried out
"Blasphemy ! " when Christ forgave sins ; pronounced it abasement, when

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 83

He consoled sinners ; declared it revolting and notorious impiety, when
He healed the sick on the Sabbath-day, — they are capable, being ani
mated by the same Pharisaical spirit, of clothing with malice the most
holy actions of their neighbors. It is not improbable that among so
many sisters in the monastery there should be some of this description.

But this sacred virgin, having triumphed over all the infernal fury
above described, triumphed no less over all that these, her domestic devils
in the flesh, could invent to her dishonor and torment. She, like the
woman eulogized by the Holy Ghost, opposed silence, meekness, and
benignity to the persecutions. Constant in her devout proceedings, she
loved and venerated all, prayed for all, did good to all, but neither wished
nor hoped for anything from any living person. She served God, like
St. Paul, in good and bad renown alike ; and, leaving us the example of
how a good name is to be preserved, she secured a true victory by faith,
which places the whole world under our feet, as St. John teaches
us: "ffezc est victoria qu<z vincit mundum, fides nostra " — " And this is
the victory which overcometh the world; our faith " (i John v, 4).
There is no kind of temptation over which faith cannot triumph. Not
by a cynical sentiment, which faces public opinion with contempt and
derision, but, convinced that the scourge comes to us from the loving
hand of God, who strikes us, as His children, for our best welfare, and
makes us happy by placing us under an unjust persecution, we
triumphantly ride over all our enemies. Justly is the Christian's vic
tory attributed to faith ; because this shows us the joys we must hope
for, excites us to the acquisition of them, and teaches us whence we
must expect the help necessary to win and what motives we have for
trusting in such help, because manifestly loyal is He who fights for us
and with us. To faith, as to a root, hope and charity must be united,
which three virtues assure us, according to St. Paul, that neither life nor
death, neither men nor angels will separate us from the charity of Christ.
By the Cross, invoked by us with a lively faith, all the infernal spirits
are dispersed or rendered impotent to hurt our soul. By practicing the
principle which faith proposes to us, that " he who is smitten on one
cheek should turn the other to the smiter," we radically remove
from our heart everything that may be opposed to our own good and
that of society, and thus implant in the soul of the offender the most
noble thoughts; unlike that inhuman principle of the world, that "he
who receives a blow on the face, unless he takes revenge for it, is dis
honored." By this principle the greatest infamy and degradation is
brought on the Christian and the man, as on their skill, or rather the
hazard of the point of a sword, they place the honor, the blood, and the
life of man. If then, as believers in God, we wish not to be indifferent
to our eternal destiny, let us reflect well on the fact that nobody shall be
crowned unless he shall have legitimately fought in the necessary fight
of this life, that is, with the arms of faith, left us by Jesus Christ, and
employed by all the Saints.

St Paul, chosen by God as the first proclaimer of this truth, had ex
perienced in himself more than others the dangers which, at every step,
threaten us with ruin— the most powerful enemies who incessantly work
our perdition ; and he, ever moved by God to guide us in the path of

84

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

our welfare, tells us distinctly: " Non coronabitur, nisi qui legitimc
certaverit" — " For he also that striveth for the mastery, is not crowned
except he strive lawfully (2 Tim. ii, 5). If we also have the ambition
to leave behind us an honorable name, let the truth be impressed on
our mind that by no other path will we come to it but by that of virtue,
though the world may follow the opposite. To immortalize the memory
of anyone, we speak but of his moral and Christian virtues. To exalt a
genius in art or science, if not possessing virtuous qualities, historians
assiduously study to present him with some invented ones. To praise a
sovereign, they begin with his beneficence ; a magistrate, with his rectitude;
a rich man, with his liberality ; a poor man, with his patient submission.
So that at the very moment when the world with its maxims is perse
cuting virtue, it finds it necessary to acknowledge it in the initiative of
any glorious undertaking. Therefore, by an irresistible logic, it ven
erates the Saints above all ; and justly venerates Mary Magdalen De-
Pazzi with a eulogy superior to that which will ever be given to those
personages who become celebrated by despotism, by power, by war, by
riches, by science — proving every day that, as Fenelon says, 4 ' Man is
always small when he is not great except by vanity."

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

CHAPTER XIV.

OF SOME SPIRITUAL COMFORTS GRANTED BY THE DIVINE GOODNESS

TO ST. MARY MAGDALEN DURING THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED

FIVE YEARS OF PROBATION.

|HE SEES JESUS AS WHEN PlLATE PRESENTED HlM TO THE
PEOPLE. — He who carries his cross for the love of God never
succumbs to its weight. Deified, so to say, by the merits
of Christ, it contains in itself so much sweetness and relief
that it often infuse's into the soul of the patient sufferer the
most lively consolation. This faithful Bride of Christ for
whom tribulations were like fuel that kindled in her more
and more the fire of Divine love, during those five years,
was comforted and consoled in various ways. Now by means of
the Most Holy Sacrament ; now by being raised into ecstasy, and thus
partaking of the celestial secrets ; and now by joyous and wonderful
apparitions, either of her Divine Spouse, or of the Blessed Virgin,
the angels, or her patron Saints ; but especially by the following occur
rence: On February 5th, 1585, which, in that year, was Shrove-Thurs-

day that is, the last Thursday of carnival — the nuns were making, as

was customary, a devout exercise, to atone for so many offenses which
in those bacchanal days were wont to be offered to the Divine Majesty,
when she, considering such offenses in the bitterness of her heart, was
rapt in ecstasy, and the suffering Jesus appeared to her in the act and
under the form in which the impious Pilate showed Him to the Hebrew
people, saying : " Ecce Homo." At such a sight, inflamed with the most
fervent desire to suffer, she exclaimed : " My Jesus, why cannot
be the one who suffers as many pains, derisions, and abuses as those
traitors make Thee suffer when Pilate shows Thee to the people?
Why cannot I remove from Thy head that piercing crown that pains
Thee so much, and put it on my own, as it is for me Thou wearest it,
and for me Thou sufferest these pains and torments ? " Then she under
stood that Jesus, to comply with her virtuous wish, would give her a
precious gift, full at once of sadness and sweetness— that is, the 3
packet of mvrrh of His passion, such as St. Bernard had been favored
with. Hence she, gladly and with sentiments of affection, begged of
this Saint to prepare her to receive it, sanctifying her in the blood
of Jesus. After this, naming separately the instruments of the passion of

86 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

her Divine Spouse, whilst seeming to be in His embrace, she extended
her hands as if in the act of receiving that great gift, and then, as
though she had received it, pressed her hands closely to her breast and
said: "Fasciculus myrrhcz dilectus meus mihi, inter ubera me a com-
morabitur" — UA bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me: he shall abide
between my breasts" (Cant, i, 12). Saying this, she fell to the ground,
trembling, with manifest signs of great suffering ; and, in fact, as she
afterwards related by obedience, at that moment, not only in her mind,
but also in her body, she felt the most excruciating torments. Having
come to herself shortly after, filled with fervor, and stronger and more
courageous than ever, she continued her combat against the devils.

2. SHE ENJOYS THE SIGHT OF THE INFANT JESUS. — A few days after
it pleased the Divine Goodness to favor this Virgin Saint in a manner
not less precious and effectual. She had anxiously wished for a long time
to see the Infant Jesus as He looked when He came from the immacu
late womb of the most holy Mary. This wish was fully gratified when,
being rapt in ecstasy, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her with the
Divine Child as she wished to see Him, and placed Him in Mary Mag
dalen's arms. The Saint was overcome with delight and joy, and
seemed to melt with love. Words could not express the emotion and
sentiments of tenderness to which she gave vent in this contemplation
of the Infant Jesus.

3. SHE IS COMFORTED BY THE GLORIOUS APPARITION OF ST.

THOMAS AQUINAS. — On the yth of March of the same year, 1585, the
feast of ,St. Thomas Aquinas, as she was contemplating the glory of
her patron Saint, she was rapt in an ecstasy, during which she saw him
surrounded by a glorious light, and, being by him encouraged to persist
dauntless in the combat, she was informed that her aridity of spirit was
still to increase. Hence, recommending herself with great energy to
the intercession of the Saint, she seemed to see and feel as though, before
leaving her, he had anointed her heart and all her senses with an
odorous and precious liquid, which left her spirit very cheerful and
reinvigorated.

4. SHE DRAWS CONSOLATION AND PROFIT FROM MEDITATING ON
THE MYSTERY OF THE WORD INCARNATE. — Moreover, on the feast of
the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, in the same year, meditating on
the most profound mystery of the Incarnation, she remained ecstatic for
six whole hours, deriving therefrom very great spiritual comfort, as by
means of celestial revelations she felt her understanding enlightened and
her will strengthened, both of which in the darkness of the temptations
she seemed to have lost.

5. HER PAINS FOR SOME TIME GIVE WAY TO CONSOLATIONS, AS IT
HAD BEEN FORETOLD TO HER. — On the twentieth day of July of the
following year, 1586, being the feast of St. Margaret, Virgin and Martyr,
whilst she was in the choir reciting the divine office, her spirit was car
ried out of her senses, and she understood how God would be pleased to
slightly mitigate that spiritual conflict until the following month of
October. It so happened, for, during that time, she was left unmolested
by the diabolical vexations, enjoyed more tranquillity and consolation of
Spirit, and had more frequent and remarkable ecstasies.

She receives the holy habit of the Carmelite Order (page 37)

86

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 87

6. SHE is ASSURED OF NOT BEING DELUDED IN REGARD TO THE
SUPERNATURAL GIFTS. — But the following month of August was
chosen by Divine Providence to calm and strengthen, in the most
marked and efficacious manner, the troubled spirit of Mary Magdalen. On
the eleventh day of the month she entered into a wonderful ecstasy, in
which state she remained until the fifteenth, returning to her senses
for but two hours each day, to say the divine office and take a little
nourishment of bread and water. Little did she talk during these four
days, and very much did she enjoy the highest communication between
God and herself. As the sentiment of despair was the most apt to
depress her spirit, for, on account of her humility, she continually feared
to be deluded in her ecstasies and revelations, the benign Lord, who
does not allow the humble of heart to be dejected, but rather wishes for
their exaltation, came to her rescue and reassured Ffis beloved in her
great affliction in a wonderful way. During the same month she
had two ecstasies, one on the sixteenth and the other on the twenty-
fifth, during which she was distinctly assured that the revelations and
supernatural occurrences she enjoyed were not delusions of the devil, but
pure consequences of God's love for her. In the meantime, God let her
know that He wanted her, for fifteen days, to take nourishment but
three times, namely, on the two Thursdays and the Sunday intervening ;
taking on each Thursday, in the evening only, a little bread and wine,
and Lenten diet on Sunday. This confirmed her more and more in
regard to what was now made manifest to her. She made this injunc
tion known to her spiritual father and the mother prioress, and, as they
also wished to have some guarantee of the truth of these visions, they
gladly granted her permission to follow it. In order to faithfully com
ply with the Divine will, manifested to her on a Sunday, and having at
the same time obtained permission, on the following Monday she under
took' this fast, so that she was without any nourishment at all until the
evening of Thursday, when she took a small quantity of bread and
wine ; and from then until the evening of the following Sunday, and so
also during the second week she did not even take a drop of water,
except what God had ordered her to take. The most holy Bucharistic
Bread, which she received every morning, was the true and only
restorative that helped her to pass through the fifteen days, even more
active than usual at all the exercises of Religion. To the great astonish
ment of the nuns, they never saw her tired or pale, nor showing a sign
of weakness, much less of succumbing or giving way, on account of
her excessive abstinence, as some of the nuns supposed would happen.
The Lord, to reward such loyal and complete correspondence, con
firmed her in the assurance of not being deceived, so that the enemy
lost all hope of seducing her in this manner ; and likewise her confessor
and the nuns, not being able to doubt such a sign's being from
God, subdued to a great extent the fear they had begun to entertain
about the truth of her actions and visions.

7 JESUS APPEARS TO HER IN HlS GLORY, AND SHE SEES ALSO ST.

JOHN THE EVANGELIST AND ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA.— While she
was in a most humble posture with a rope around her neck, as was
said above, she kissed the feet of all the sisters. Afterward, full of

88 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

spiritual joy, she withdrew to the choir, and there, being rapt in ecstasy,
Jesus, glorious and resplendent, appeared to her, and, to reward this
humiliation, lovingly received her into His arms, and with a kiss of divine
love inebriated her with such sweetness that she gave evidence thereof
in her countenance and her whole person. In the same ecstasy she saw
St. John the Evangelist and St. Catherine of Siena, who, by means of
strong chains, bound the devils she had vanquished and overcome.

8. SHE SEES JESUS SCOURGED,; AND SHE HEARS HOW HER
HUMILIATION is PLEASING TO GOD. — Having procured somebody to
tie her behind the book-stand of the choir, to her humiliation, in
such a position she was rapt in ecstasy, and then she saw Jesus tied to
the pillar and scourged. She was wonderfully consoled by this vision
and encouraged to suffer every pain for the love of the suffering Jesus.
Another time, aftej the act of humiliation in which she caused herself
to be bound blindfolded to the grates of the choir, she, when loosened and
unveiled, prostrated herself before the altar of the Blessed Virgin.
Here she immovably fixed her eyes on the image and was raised into an
ecstasy, during which the Lord told her that this action had pleased
Him very much, as He regards closely and with love all acts of humility,
and distantly and with contempt all acts of pride. She also under
stood how the devils were confused at it ; and she seemed to hear their
roars, as if they could not endure her humiliations.

9. SHE SEES THE GLORY OF ST. AUGUSTINE. — On the eve of St.
Augustine's day, 1587, as she was reciting some psalms in honor of this
Saint, she felt a great desire to see his glory. God complied with her
desire. On the evening of the same day, as she was in the choir for the
recitation of compline, she was rapt in ecstasy, and the vision of St
Augustine, in his most refulgent glory, was presented to her imagination ;
by which, as if that glory in some way redounded unto her, her eyes
became brilliant with celestial joy, and in her countenance shone a cer
tain divine beauty. She then addressed to the Saint most affectionate
words. The following night, being also in the choir for matin, she saw,
ecstatically, St. Augustine as glorious as the preceding night; and,
remaining for a while in this contemplation, she finished the office
by herself, in such a way that reciting one verse she would pass over
the other in silence lasting as long as would be required by its
recital. It was concluded from this that the Saint himself was her part
ner in the psalmody. She also gave evidence of hearing at the same
time the angelic melodies, as, listening very attentively, she burst into
these words: " These songs are far different from those we engage in on
earth!" Having ended thus the recital of matin, she remained in
ecstatic contemplation until the time for Holy Communion, when, having
received with ineffable sweetness and fervor the Eucharistic Bread, she
came to herself from the ecstasy. In customary obedience, she related
how God in this instance increased the strength of her spirit to over
come her enemies and advance in spiritual perfection.

10. THE BLESSED VIRGIN PUTS ON HER A WHITE VEIL. — The
ecstasy she had on the i7th of September of the same year, 1587, was
very wonderful and effective. Being fiercely attacked in the virtue of
chastity, as was related, and forbidden by her confessor and her mother

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 89

superioress from again throwing herself among thorns, or doing any
other injury to her body, she, by way of compensation, gave herself up
to prayer with redoubled fervor, imploring above all the assistance
of the Queen of virgins. On the same day, it happened that, hav
ing withdrawn to a remote chamber, by prayers of a most suppliant
devotion, and by most touching tears, she turned to the most pure
Mother of God, that she might obtain for her such a victory over the
impure temptations, that her virginity would not be stained in the least
thereby. Having just made the request, the Blessed Virgin appeared to
her in the form of a noble and tender mother, and, consoling her, told
her to be calm, as in all such temptations she had never offended God ;
"nay, by her courageous fight with the impure spirit, she had come out
completely victorious, and, as a reward therefor, the Blessed Virgin put
on her a pure white veil, and told her, moreover, that in future she
would not again have to surfer the, temptations or suggestions of im
purity. At this moment, Mary Magdalen interiorly felt as if all appetite
of carnal concupiscence was being reduced, and that all the disordered
fire of sensuality had been extinguished in an ineffable manner. In
fact, during all her life, this angelic soul was not again molested by a
desire of the flesh, nor even by any imagination or the least thought
contrary to holy purity.

II. JESUS CLOTHES HER WITH AN INVISIBLE RELIGIOUS HABIT,
AND FR M HIM SHE RECEIVES SACRAMENTAL COMMUNION. — During

the tempi ition of forsaking the Religious habit, on the 5th of August,
1588, after having resisted it with great strength, in order the better to
remove it, she began to read attentively the life of St. Diego, her par
ticular protector. While reading, she was alienated from her senses, and
saw, in spirit, this Saint showing her a pure white habit which came
out of the side of the Divine Redeemer. Magdalen being charmed
with it, felt an ardent wish to be clothed with it, and, with great
warmth, supplicated her Celestial Spouse to give it to her, and through
the merits of St. Albert, Carmelite — whose feast was being celebrated on
that day — to condescend to clothe her interiorly with it, that she might
more efficaciously imitate the Saint whose life she was reading. Panting
for it with all her heart, and keeping her eyes fixed on a Crucifix that
stood before her, she saw, coming out of His side, a tunic even more
beautiful and precious than the habit mentioned above ; He had in
his right hand a scapular ; in His left, a cincture ; on His head, crowned
with thorns, a white veil ; and, coining out of the wound in the neck,
caused by carrying the cross, a shining mantle. This sight having
filled her with the liveliest enthusiasm, she suddenly leaped upon the
altar where -this Crucifix was, and there, performing all the acts which
are wont to be made at the first reception of the Religious habit, and
pronouncing the appropriate words, manifestly demonstrated that she
received from the hands of Jesus that habit of religious form and
divine origin. And, as if already dressed, she proceeded through the
ceremonv, giving evidence that the Queen of Heaven placed the gar
land on her head, and the light and the Crucifix in her hands, as is usually
done with the new Religious. The angels well attended to the Dinging
of the customary verses chanted by the nuns during the dressing, nor

90 THE LIKE AND WORKS OK

was sacramental Communion wanting in this ecstatic ceremony, as, at
that point, she said the Confiteor and Domine, non sum digna, &c., and,
in the attitude of receiving the Bread of Angels, she showed that Jesus
Himself gave her Holy Communion. Being thereby overcome with
joy, she addressed these affectionate words to the Divine Spouse whom
she had received: " Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus" — "My
beloved is white and ruddy (Cant, v, 10) . . . " Speciosus forma prtz
filiis hominum" — "Beautiful above the sons of men" (Ps. xliv, 3) . . .
44 Electus ex millibus" — "Chosen out of thousands" (Cant, v, 10).
u Diffusa est gratia in labiis tuis. Collocavit se in anima mea."
Then, being excited by the greatest desire to lead everyone to this
divine Sacrament, she subjoined : ' ' Dilata, Domine Jesu, cor meum,
nt inducam omnem creaturam ad communionem corporis et sanguinis
tui" And, giving vent to the sentiments she felt in her heart towards
the Divine Goodness, she exclaimed: u Quam bonus Israel Deus /"
Then, taking the Crucifix out of which she had seen the habit come, and
having thanked the Lord for all the graces with which He had favored
her, and recommended to Him the salvation of all souls, she gave it to
all the nuns present, that they might kiss it. Finally, coming to herself
from the rapture, she placed before the superioress the plain mani
festation of the above-mentioned favors which she had enjoyed ecstati
cally for the space of three hours.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZt.

CHAPTER XV.

SHE SEES THE SOUL OF ONE OF HER BROTHERS IN PURGATORY, AND

UNDERSTANDS THE EXCESSIVENESS OF THE PAINS BY

WHICH SOME VICES ARE PUNISHED THEREIN.

|N June of 1587, a brother of the Saint died. Whilst she
was praying to God for his soul, she was transported in
imagination into purgatory, where she saw that soul suffer
ing unutterable torments. At such a sight she prayed with
redoubled fervor to the Divine Goodness for its deliverance ;
and having remained in devout prayer for over half an hour,
she came to herself, much terrified. Then, with her eyes
filled with tears of sadness, she went to the superioress, and,
falling on her knees at her feet, said in a tone of amazement and sorrow:
"O Mother! great, indeed, are the pains which the souls suffer in purga
tory ! I would never have thought them to be so intense, had God not
given me some light in regard to them." Also, on the day following, medi
tating on those pains, she fell into a painful alienation from the senses,
during which, turning to heaven, she exclaimed: "O my God, my heart
cannot bear to live on earth and converse with creatures after such a
sight." But on the evening of the day following, whilst she was in the
garden with the other nuns, her spirit wandered at greater length, and
more distinctly among the various conditions of the suffering souls.
With a sad and pale countenance, her eyes showing the sorrowful object
which absorbed her, with a grave bearing, she started and at a slow pace
went around the garden, and, stopping now here and now there, gave
evidence of seeing most excessive and diverse pains. From the words
she uttered, it seemed as if in one place she saw the pains of the Reli
gious ; in another, those of the hypocrites ; then those of the ignorant ;
then those of the disobedient ; here, those of the impatient; there, those
of the liars ; besides those of the ambitious, the proud, the avaricious,
and, lastly, those of the ungrateful. Such was the terror that seized
her on beholding this sight, and such the compassion she felt for the
sufferings of others, that, because of the intensity and variety of feeling,
now she would stoop down to the ground, now sadly shake her head,
now clasp her hands, now, raising her eyes to heaven, with deep sighs,
address to God the most fervent prayers for the suffering souls, and now
invite heaven and earth to share in her distress. She would also turn
herself to the poor souls, now addressing words of compassion to them ;
now reproaching them for the sins for which they were tortured^ and
now comforting them by the hope of the joy they expected. So lively

<)2 THE LIFR AND WORKS OF

were the acts she performed, so fervent and resolute the words she
uttered in this ecstasy, that she actually appeared to see those torments
with her corporal eyes ; and she so touched the nuns present as even to
make them shed tears, and enkindle in all in the monastery a permanent
fervor of praying to God for the souls in purgatory. Among the remark
able things she said about these pains, was that " all torments endured
by the martyrs are like being in a delicious garden, compared to what
the souls in purgatory suffer;" and then, when out of the rapture, she
added that " those pains were so terrible that if in seeing them she had
not had the assistance of her guardian angel and St. Augustine, who
continually accompanied her in that place, she could not have endured
such a sight." From this vision she learned how to understand and better
venerate the perfection of the purity of God, who does not permit to
enter into His kingdom any but souls purified and cleansed of even the
least stain of guilt ; and she resolved to hate sin more, resist the tempta
tions with greater strength, and with frequent prayers and expiatory
deeds relieve the suffering souls. Among these, cutting off by the'arm
of faith all the doubts that audacious and foolish unbel ief present to us,
we should reflect that there are now, also, our relatives and friends, who
anxiously await our mercy. Oh, if it would only be given us to hear
their plaintive appeals ! Like St. Mary Magdalen, let us also revive
our faith and fervor on behalf of those blessed souls ! None of us are
free from at least some obligation towards the dead. The strictest duties
of acknowledgment, of gratitude, of justice call upon us to help them.
Nor can we flatter ourselves that we have nobody there belonging to
us by some title ; as it is very seldom that one may leave this mortal
life having no need of purification. "No man is without sin," teaches
the Apostle. " No creature can justify herself before God," says Job.
The mercy of God, it is true, forgives all ; but His justice retains
some part of the debt, which we must pay in the next life before
our souls can sit at the banquet of the Lamb, like immaculate daughters
of Zion. Hence, it is also to our own interest to relieve the suffering
souls, as it being almost inevitable that we will pass through or rather
remain for some time in that place of sighs and desires, by shortening for
them the road to heaven, we make it easier for ourselves ; and by obtain
ing for them the possession of the sovereign good, we render ourselves
less unworthy of possessing it, and consequently we diminish the amount
of our debts and shorten the time of our deliverance. ( ' Do good unto
the just soul," says the wise man, "and thou shalt be rewarded for it."
It is not faith alone, nor the Church only, that reminds us of the needs of
the dead; but a universal custom, as old as the world, plainly proves that
God Himself has implanted in man such pious and noble sentiments for
the memory of the departed, as if to admonish us of the future survival,
to which we are immortally privileged. The Church proposes several
means of fulfilling so solemn and sacred a duty, as suffrages of piety; but
our heart has full liberty of choice among all virtuous works. Even the
merest thought directed to good, God accepts in expiation of the faults
of others. Let us, then, remember to place, with Tobias, our bread and
our wine on the sepulchre of the just, that is, to offer daily for them
some sacrifice to the Lord.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

93

CHAPTER XVL

BY THE WILL OF GOD SHE TAKES OFF HER SHOES AND STOCKINGS
AND PUTS ON THE POOREST TUNIC.

ST. GREGORY, commenting on these words of the
Divine Master — " Qui non renuntiat omnibus qu<z possidet,
non potest meus esse discipuhis " — said that he who under
takes to fight the devil must put off the vestments of earthly
things : " Qui contra diabolum ad certamen proper at, vesti-
menta abiiciat, ne succumbat" Thus God, who wished the
greatest perfection for this fighting soul, having placed it in
this fight as if in an encounter with the devil, notwith
standing her being divested of every earthly thing — that is, of all attach
ments to this world, which are just the vestments meant by the above
text — yet He also imposed on her the literal observance of such a
precept, so that the lightness of the body might correspond to the prompt
attitude of the spirit in victoriously fighting all her enemies. It was
the 5th of July, 1587, when God, having taken this faithful servant
into ecstasy, gave her to understand it to be His will that. she should go
barefooted, choose the meanest among the habits of the Religious, and
take for herself the poorest cell and the most wretched bed. She,
without interposing a single thought of delay, being still in ecstasy,
took off her shoes and stockings, and, going to her cell, removed there
from every object, even the least one, with the exception of a Crucifix
on the little altar; she also stripped the bed, leaving only a straw
mattress and a board. Then, going to the room where the nuns' habits
were kept and repaired, she opened the closets to see what tunics they
contained. Selecting the most worn and patched one, she withdrew to
another room, where, taking off the one she had on, she put on the
other. The contentment and joy of her heart at seeing herself so meanly
clad for the love of God was so great, that, fixing her eyes on heaven,
she thanked Divine Providence for it as for a special benefit, and, with
unutterable emotion of affection, recited the Te Deum. After this,
making a bundle of her former habit, she brought it to the room of the
mother superioress, and, taking an inkstand, with pen and paper, imme
diately went to the choir, and then ascending the altar of the Blessed
Virgin, and kneeling down, placed the paper in the bosom of the sacred
image, with her profession renewed in writing upon it, in these words :

94 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

u I, Sister Mary Magdalen, make profession of and promise to God — to His
most pure Mother, the Virgin Mary, to St. Catherine of Siena, and to
Francis the Seraphic, and to all the celestial court — obedience, chastity,
and poverty in the manner in which God at this moment makes me
understand and know ; with a firm purpose of never leaving it unless I
should have a true light, making me know that it is pleasing to Him, as
I now understand that it is truly Himself who wants me to observe this
poverty; hence, confiding in His help and mercy, I make this profession —
in manu puritatis Maricz " — u in the hands of Mary's purity."

Whilst she wrote this spontaneous formula, she kept her left
hand continually on the hands of the image. Then laying down
the pen, with her right hand on the inkstand, and gravely stretching
out her left hand on the paper, and, finally joining both of them
with energy, she said with a firm voice : "If anybody shall tell me
that I invent a new rule, I will answer that it is no novelty, but simply
perfecting my rule, as all should do." She then spoke of holy poverty
in such a manner as to excite in all the sisters who heard her a great
desire to observe it minutely. Finally, turning again to the Blessed
Virgin, with affectionate and pressing words, she begged that she would
take her under her constant and particular protection, and help her to do
all that God had manifested to her that she should do. Then, coming
to herself from her rapture, she went to the mother prioress, and falling
on her knees, with her hands joined, entreated her in the name of God
not to prevent her following that mode of life which Heaven so evi
dently dictated for her. The prioress answered at the moment, with all
prudence, that it was necessary to inform the spiritual father, and then
all should submit to his advice. Her desire having been made known
to the confessor, before he granted the permission he wished to assure
himself, by a new trial, of the obedience of Sister Mary Magdalen,
thinking also that he thereby would ascertain whether there was any
diabolical deception in it. Hence he positively commanded her to put
on her shoes and stockings, and clothe herself with her usual vestments.
The Saint felt an extreme disappointment in finding her spiritual director
differ from the revelation just narrated, and the doubt arose in her mind
that perhaps she had been deceived, as she could not believe a decided
opposition in her spiritual father possible, if what she intended doing
were from God. This grave doubt caused her to burst into tears; still,
wholly resigned, she obeyed. But the Lord did not cease to inspire her
with her former sentiment, as He wished it carried into effect absolutely.
He repeated it to her several times; and on the 2d of the following
month, August, raising her into ecstasy again, He made her feel an
irresistible tendency to repeat the above-described action. Actually
unable to overcome the divine impulse, she took off, as before, her shoes
and stockings, looked for the poorest tunic, which, for the sake of
obedience she had left off, and, in taking it up again, said with a tremu
lous voice: " My God, when I shall be with Thee, I will obey Thee;
when I shall be with them, I will obey them. Give us light here
below." The mother prioress saw and heard her, and, showing herself
to her with an imposing appearance, thus spoke to her : " Sister Mary
Magdalen, for obedience' sake, give me these vestments, and do not

Whilst reciting the Divine Office in the choir, she receives the
blessing of the Blessed Virgin ( page 57).

94

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 95

clothe yourself with them ; put on your stockings and shoes again."
At this voice of obedience, the Saint came again to herself from her
rapture, and promptly gave up to the superioress the tunic asked for,
and put on the stockings and the shoes ; but something wonderful fol
lowed. Her feet began to swell, and they pained her so that she could
not stand on them. She could not walk except on her hands and
knees; consequently, she was compelled to move in this way on the
ground, and when she was to receive Holy Communion she had to be
carried on the arms of the other sisters. Having continued several days
in this distress, the spiritual father thought it a sufficient indication that
it was the will of God that she should follow such a mode of poverty.
He, therefore, gave his affirmative notification to the mother prioress,
and she said to St. Mary Magdalen : " If you believe this to be God's
will, the spiritual father gives you permission to go barefooted, according
to His command." Immediately Magdalen took off her shoes and
stockings, and at the same time — no less wonderful than in the pre
ceding occurrence — all pain in her feet ceased, and the sisters noticed
the swelling effectively decreasing. She was now ready to move and
walk without pain ; and, in fact, she went quietly and without delay to
the choir, where, before the usual altar of the Blessed Virgin, she gave
to God the most fervent thanks for having thus made His Divine Will
manifest to her superiors. After this, she began to obey this command
of God in a most severe manner, dressing herself in the patched and
wornout tunic, and going barefooted continually for three years, suffering
such cruel pains in winter that, sometimes, when walking on the
ice in the garden, blood would flow from her feet, because of the
delicacy of her skin. But she never spoke a word of complaint, nor did
she ever adopt or accept any relief. At the end of the five years of pro
bation, having, as we shall see, an inspiration from God, she again put
on her shoes and slippers, but not her stockings, except during her last
illness. She practiced the same poverty with regard to her cell and
habit until her death, in reward for which she was introduced into
heaven to enjoy unfading delights.

96 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

^

CHAPTER XVIL

BY SOME MIRACLES WROUGHT DURING THIS TIME, GOD CON
FIRMS THAT SUCH A PROBATION CAME FROM HIM.

]HE better to convince those spirits who doubted the sanctity
of Mary Magdalen, of their injustice, God determined by the
following miracles to manifest to the eyes of the world,
even in the very midst of her trials, how much her spirit
was adorned with it.

I. SHE RESTORES TO HEALTH A LAY-SlSTER WHO
WAS ALMOST DYING. — In 1587, Sister Fede de Domenica
da Legnaja, a lay-sister in the monastery of St. Maria degli
Angeli, was suffering from the contraction of her limbs, and was swollen
from head to foot, her left side having become a span shorter than the
other. In consequence of this contraction she could neither move her
hands nor her head, and suffered most cruel pains throughout her body,
which gave her not a moment's rest. Troubled for several months by this
ever-increasing malady, she had such little hope of life that the physi
cians, considering any further visit useless, abandoned her altogether to
Divine Providence. The sufferer, in the absence of all comfort from
human science, felt a great confidence in the virtues of her fellow -sister,
Mary Magdalen, arise with unusual strength in her soul. It was the
month of July of the above year. Our Saint, counseled by the spirit of
God, instead of immediately granting the request, as according to her
natural piety she would have done, said: "Tell Sister Fede that to-day
is not the time ; let her have patience and prepare for to-morrow at
Vespers' time, when I will visit her." The next day, at the time
appointed, the Saint, being in the oratory of the novices in ecstasy, kneel
ing before an image of the Virgin, suddenly arose to her feet, and taking
the image in her hands, she went with it to the bed of the sick sister,
placed the image on her, and kneeling, with suppliant hands, addressed
to Heaven in the meanwhile the most fervent prayers for the health of
her sick fellow-sister. But a few minutes elapsed before the sick sister
moved her arms, which before she could not do at all, took the image
between her hands and kept it there firmly ; and then our healer arose,
pronouncing with great feeling these words : " O Lord, . Thy .will
be done;" and made the sign of the cross on the patient with the
image. Suddenly all the nerves of the contracted limbs extended, the
swelling disappeared, the pains ceased, and she was wholly cured,
so that she would have left her bed at once, had not the sisters prevented

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

97

her doing so then. On the following morning, meeting with no opposi
tion, she arose fully cured, and a few days afterwards (it was not per
mitted her before by obedience) this Sister Fede who had been almost
dying, returned to her usual exercises, which were the most laborious in
the monastery.

2. SHE FREES A GlRL WHO WAS POSSESSED BY THE DEVIL. —
Catherine, daughter of Carlo Spini, a noble Florentine maiden, being
possessed by a wicked spirit, went with her mother, one day in 1588, to
visit Sister Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi, her relative. As the three were con
versing at the grates of the parlor, the Saint was raised into ecstasy; at
the sight of which the devil began greatly to torment the girl, throwing
her to the floor, making her throat swell, and causing her to roar and
bellow, with frightful contortions. This sight moved Magdalen to the
tenderest compassion towards this unhappy creature. She sent for the
father confessor, who was then in church, and as soon as he came to the
parlor, begged of him that he would command that spirit to depart im
mediately from the girl's body. But the confessor, who trusted more in
the sanctity of St. Mary Magdalen than in" himself, answered her: "I
order thee, by holy obedience, that thou thyself command him to do
this." Then the Saint, with majestic demeanor, full of confidence
in God, said to the spirit: "I command thee, on the part of God, that
thou depart from this body;" and made the sign of the cross on the
girl possessed, who was immediately left free and at rest from all trouble,
as if she had never suffered it, and never more in her life was she
molested by that spirit.

3. BY THE SIGN OF THE CROSS SHE CHANGES SOME SPOILED WINE

IN A KEG INTO GOOD WINE, DRINKING OK WHICH A SICK NUN RE

GAINS HER HEALTH. — In August of 1588, the wine in a keg in the
monastery having become sour, and the mother prioress having no means
to provide good wine, she ordered Sister Mary Magdalen to pray to Jesus
that He might be pleased to turn the spoiled wine again into good wine.
Then our Saint, strengthened by obedience, took a little framed picture
which represented St. Diego, and going with it to the wine-cellar, after
a short prayer, made the sign of the cross over the keg. After this, the
sister-butler came to draw wine, and found it, in fact, restored to its
former good taste. The nuns gave thanks to God, who had so miracu
lously provided for their needs. A fellow-sister, Mary Angiola Santucci,
was then confined to her bed by a serious illness, and, on hearing of
this miracle, asked for a drink of the wine. No sooner had she tasted
it than she felt a notable relief from her illness, and, feeling her hope
of ultimate recovery increase, she wanted to taste more of it on the
following day. After this, she felt better ; and on the third day, taking
the same small quantity, she recovered her health entirely, to the inex
pressible wonder of the sisters, who could not help being cognizant
the double prodigy worked through the virtue of our humble and holy

. SHE LICKS WITH HER TONGUE THE CONTAGIOUS SORE ON A
NUN AND HEALS HER —For many years, Sister Barbara Bassi, a nun
in said monastery, had been subject to such a terrible disease that,
according to the doctor'*; verdict, the mass of the blood having become

98 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

infected, the acid humor gradually gnawed her flesh, and conse
quently diminished from day to day the efficacy of any medicine. In
1589, she had come to distrust her health so much that, seeing herself
covered with sores and scabs, with a perceptible wasting of her body,
she had given up the use of all remedies, and was not even taking care
to guard herself in her room, but wandered through the monastery a
prey to thoughts of sadness and despair. Sister Mary Magdalen, re
turning one morning after Holy Communion to her cell, met this poor
sick sister in a very retired place. On account of the great charity with
which her heart was burning for her neighbor, and the compassion she
actually felt, she began to lick with her tongue the hands, the arms, and
the limbs infected with the disease, saying to the sufferer that, if
she should have faith and trust in God and the Blessed Virgin, she
would recover. In fact, two or three days afterwards, she unexpectedly
found herself wholly healed, her flesh being as pure and clean as if she had
never suffered any illness, and she was never again attacked with such an
infection.

5. SHE REANIMATES THE PARALYZED lylMBS OF A LyAY-SlSTER BY

MAKING THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. — In the same year, 1589, Sister
Pace Colombini, a lay-sister of the same monastery, being struck with
apoplexy and having lost the feeling in her left side to such an extent that
she did not feel the least pain from a long pin's being thrust in by the
physicians. Mary Magdalen finding herself one day in the room of this
sick sister, the mother prioress asked her to pray for her and bless her.
Our Saint, on account of her humility, refused to do this for a while ;
but, conquered by obedience and charity, she made the sign of the cross
over the sick nun, who immediately felt that some life was returning to
the dead side. Being animated to hope well from her great benefactress,
she begged her, with the greatest fervor, that she would continue to pray
for her and visit her. On the. following day, Magdalen was anxious to
comply with the patient's wish, and visited her, and again made the sign
of the cross over her. The paralytic felt likewise a new vigor in her
limbs, so that she began to move them a little. On the third day, re
peating the visit and the blessing, our Saint accomplished the prodigy
of a perfect cure, so that Sister Pace Colombini said with a firm voice :
"I am healed." Shortly after, she got out of her bed to the great
amazement of all the nuns, and much more of the doctor, who, having
been unable to see, according to his science, any hope of recovery from
such an illness, could not assign a human reason for seeing her well and
occupied, like any other lay-sister, in the housework of the monastery.
This lay-sister was never more overtaken by this illness as they gener
ally are who have once had a stroke.

Thus did God at once humble and exalt this, His handmaid, who,
bv her sanctity, confounded the rebellious and proud Lucifer; condemned
the world in its false glories, its ridiculous pomps, and its vices ; con
demned also her fellow-sisters of the monastery in their unjust doubts;
and glorified more and more the holy Name of God, furnishing in herself
a new proof of the truth of that evangelical principle, that " triumph
belongs to him who is the most sincere," in opposition to the political
sophism that " the right belongs to him who is the shrewdest."

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

99

CHAPTER XVIIL

BEFORE THE END OF THE FIVE YEARS' PROBATION, SHE PERFORMS

A MOST SEVERE PENANCE OF FIFTY DAYS, AFTER WHICH

GOD REWARDS HER WITH SEVERAL FAVORS.

JHB end of the five years ordained by God for the probation
of the Saint was drawing near, when, on Easter Sunday,
the 22d of April, 1590, being raised out of her senses, she
understood it to be the will of God that she should under
take a new Lent of rigid penance, to last until the next
Pentecost, when the combat would cease. This penance
she was to perform in atonement for all the faults she
had committed during those five years, assigning ten days
for each year. Hence, most faithful to the divine inspirations, with
His permission, she fasted all the fifty days on bread and water, slept
on the bare floor, except Sundays, when she would rest a little while on
the ordinary straw-bed. Besides many mortifications, spiritual exer
cises, and other penances which she ordinarily practiced, not a day of
these fifty passed without her cruelly scourging her flesh with an iron
discipline, keeping before her a human skull, a cross, and a clepsydra
indicating the half-hour, which she would very often overstep, and some
times even double in scourging herself.

Having reached through such austerity the 9th of June, the eve of
Pentecost, and feeling in the morning unusually afflicted from an
unknown cause, she withdrew to a place apart and used the discipline
on herself for the space of almost an hour ; then she went to the oratory
of the novices, where, praying before the image of our Lady, she had an
ecstasy of nearly two hours. The superioress, in order to get a new
proof 'of her obedience, called her during that time, ordering her to
present herself to her. At the voice of the mother, quickly returning
to her senses, with deep humility she knelt at her feet, and, in obedience,
related all she had understood during this ecstasy. It was that the Lord
was pleased that in future she should go barefooted no more, as she had
been doing for three years, but should put on her sandals, though not
her stockings ; that on the following three feast-days of the Holy Ghost
she should conform herself to the life of the community, eating meat and
whatever else the monastery allowed ; and this, every year on this solem
nity, as a joyous remembrance that on this feast her painful probation

100 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

had ended by God's taking her victorious out of the den of infernal lions.
As the Jews yearly celebrated the remembrance of their having been
freed from Pharaoh's slavery, so she was to do likewise at Pentecost,
giving also to the body, as a companion in these sufferings, some lawful
comfort. From that hour forward, she was also permitted to drink some
wine every Thursday evening in memory of the most sacred Eucharist.
Likewise, having desired and often asked our Lord not to grant her
so manifest and frequent supernatural favors, that she might not ap
pear to be an object of admiration and singularity, she understood in
this ecstasy, that in future she would be less favored exteriorly with
them than she had been before her probation. At the same time, her
soul would be even more strongly united to God, in such a manner
though, as not to prevent her from working and conversing, except
on the three days of Pentecost, when God wanted her all to Himself. On
the first day, that she might rejoice and feast in God alone for the
victories obtained over the devils during the five years past ; on the other
two days, that she might hear what the Divine Will demanded of her
for the future. Here her interview with the mother prioress ended.

When the evening came, she quickly hid herself in her little room,
where, instead of taking rest, she passed the night in prayer till the sign
of matin, at which, going to the choir, she recited there the divine office
with the other sisters, till the Te Deum. This being commenced, she
was rapt in ecstasy, and the Lord, by means of St. Angel o the Carmelite,
revealed to her that He would keep her in the state of grace and
strengthen the powers of her soul and the senses of her body, so that she
might use them only in honor of God and in the service of her neighbor.
She then saw in her imagination, and even somewhat sensibly, that
the above Saint first anointed her eyes, and then her ears, mouth, hands,
and feet, and afterwards purified and strengthened her soul with the blood
of Jesus, for which she said: " Lavit animam meam in sartguine Sponsi
met." From this vision she drew great strength and much knowledge.
God granted her particularly this most remarkable grace — for which she
so ardently wished — that in future she would consider every person as
just and holy; and never would she judge them otherwise, no matter
what fault she might perceive in them. If the sin were so manifest as
to admit of no doubt, she would have the grace of excusing the intention ;
and if the very intention appeared evidently bad, she would blame the
violence of the malign tempter for it, whose snares no mortal can wholly
escape. " If anyone," she said during the sair.e rapture, " shall come to
tell me of any fault of my neighbor, I, my Lord, will not listen, but will
tell her decidedly that she should pray for her neighbor and myself, that I
may correct myself first ; and of the faulty deeds witnessed by me, rather
than speak to others, I will advise the delinquent herself; as, otherwise,
instead of remedying the faults, many more are committed, and some
times greater ones than those of which we speak." Her spirit of charity
made her earnestly express the desire for the salvation of all souls, includ
ing those of heretics and infidels, and that all creatures would love one
another. Having thus entered the ecstasy at the hour when she was
wont yearly to receive the Holy Ghost, she began with loving and
entreating expressions to invoke the same Divine Spirit; and then,

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. IOI

remaining for a while in silence, her face became at once wonderfully
beautiful, her eyes shone with the most fervid joy, and, with a voice of
contentment, she repeatedly exclaimed: "Behold, He comes down!"
Showing that the Divine Spirit, in then visiting her soul, delivered her
from the stormy lake of infernal peril, and gave her back the feeling
of grace, communicating to her, as an ample reward, His celestial ardon
In the excess of her joy, she uttered some passages of Holy Writ, as :
" Eripuit me de manibus inimicorum meorum, et ipsi confiisi sunt " —
uHe delivered me from the hand of my enemies (Ps. xvii, 18) . . .
and "they have been confounded" (Ps. lii, 6). "Transivi per ignem
et aquam, et eduxisti me in refrigerium " — u I have passed through fire
and water, and Thou hast brought me out into a refreshment" (Ps. Ixv, 12).
She then saw the devils holding records of the faults into which
she had fallen during these five years, and she said : ' ( These most
ferocious beasts hold in their hands old papers, thinking to return with
them to their chief devil to tell him of some great gain ; but my patron
Saints take and tear them, as everything is purified by the blood of my
Jesus. They are more grievously tormented by what they had thought
would be a conquest, but they return without any victory. Who will
understand, O my Lord, that what I thought to be an offense is not an
offense, but a joy and glory to my soul ? Only he who experiences it.
But now an idle word will be for me a more serious thing than what
before seemed to me a grievous offense against God, because I enjoy
more liberty and can say : * Servite Domino in timore, et exultate ei cum
tremor e ' — * Serve ye the Lord with fear : and rejoice unto Him with
trembling' " (Ps. ii, n). Here, turning to the mother prioress and to
her mistress, and joining and pressing with her own the hands of both,
she told them, with a feeling of real gladness : u It came and
has passed away (that is, the time of probation) : help me, therefore,
to thank and magnify my God." After this she recovered from
her rapture, and, having partaken of the Eucharistic Bread and
heard the Holy Mass, went through some community acts with the
sisters, and then took her repast. When just out of the refectory,
she was again alienated from her senses, and saw in spirit a great light,
in the midst of which were her fourteen patron Saints, who, being
divided into seven pairs, were in a wonderful manner making a glorious
procession. She named them in the following order: St. Thomas
Aquinas and St. Agnes ; St. John the Evangelist and St. Mary Magda
len the Penitent; St. John the Baptist and St. Catherine, Virgin and
Martyr; St. Stephen and St. Catherine of Siena; St. Francis and St.
Clara; St. Augustine and St. Angelo the Carmelite; St. Michael
Archangel and her own Guardian Angel ; who were all going to the
Eternal Father, and were drawing precious gifts from His bosom, and
coming back with them, in behalf of Jesus, to adorn her and reward
her for the pains she had endured during the five years of her probation.
But as she always, and especially during that time, had lived m great
fear of having in many things offended God, moved at once by surprise
and joy, she said: " O my God ! it looks as if Thou wouldst reward me
in some way for the offenses I have offered Thee, as it seems to me that
I have done nothing else but offend Thee ; but yes, yes: Thou knowest

102 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

everything. " In the meantime, as she related, those Saints, approaching,
adorned her with those rich gifts drawn from the bosom of the Eternal
Father. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Agnes placed on her head a beau
tiful crown, on which was written: Tu videbis ("Thou shalt see"), on
the right; and Jugum meum super te est (" My yoke is upon thee"), on
the left, which yoke meant the satisfaction of the Word in all His brides.
In receiving this crown, she made an outward motion, as if she had fixed
a garland on her head, and pronounced these words: u The crown you
now give me will not prevent me from wearing that of thorns (given to
her by the Lord five years previously); nay, I hope, it will be a greater
ornament to the same." Then St. John the Evangelist and St. Mary
Magdalen the Penitent gave her a necklace, on which was written: Tu
videbis, on the right; Verita, Mansuetudine (" Truth and meekness"),
on the left. St. John the Baptist and St. Catherine, Virgin and Martyr,
clothed her with a pure white habit, which on the breast bore the face of
Jesus wonderfully painted, on the right a pomegranate, on the left a lily
with three little bells. St. Stephen and St. Catherine of Siena adorned
her with bracelets on which three eyes were engraved, which signified
the Providence, the Mercy, and the Love of God. St. Francis and St.
Clara put on the little finger of her left hand a ring formed of a four- faced
diamond; on one face was written: La salute (" The salvation"); on
the second Annichilazione (" Annihilation ") ; on the third Individua ed
intrinseca caritd, ("Individual and intrinsic charity"); on the fourth
Poverth (" Poverty "). St. Augustine and St. Angelo surrounded her
with a fulgid whiteness, which, covering all, occupied no space; and the
top of it represented the Crucifix. Finally, the Archangel St. Michael
and her Guardian Angel gave her a sword. Whilst she was contemplat
ing with indescribable admiration the superhuman beauty of these, her
patron Saints, and delighting in seeing herself so favored by them, trans
ported by an excess of joy, she began to dance writh the greatest agility
coupled with equal modesty ; and it seemed to her that the Saints at the
same time were celebrating with celestial melody, in union with her, the
victories that the Lord had granted her. Having somewhat subdued
this great exultation, standing still, and with a firm voice, she said: <l I
wish to go to all those places where my adversary tried to harm me, in
order to confound him and all his duplicities." In fact, being still
ecstatic, she went through all those parts of the monastery where she
had been attacked by the devil, and stopping particularly at one place
where the fight had been more obstinate, dancing and singing, she began
to mock the enemy, saying these words : " In spite of thee, I will keep
the feast on the day of my Lord ; I will laugh at thee before Him, and
will throw myself at His feet." Having knelt there for a moment, she
rose to her feet, continuing in a tone of sweet song : " In all that hap
pened to me, O devils, before my God, to your torment, I will glory, and
I will make of it a crown to put on my head, and before Him I will
humble myself." Again throwing herself on her knees, in an act of
adoration, soon afterward she arose, and continued: " O horrible, infernal
beasts ! Brawl and roar as much as you like ; my soul will think no
more of you than of a butterfly, but will thank my God for this great
gift." In another place, which was also remarkable for the vexations

She receives the Holy Infant into her arms from the hands of the
Blessed Virgin (page 86).

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 103

wliicli Satan made her endure, she sang the words of St. Paul : ' ' Quis nos
separabit a charitate Chris ti? tribulatio, au angustia, au fames?" —
" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or
distress? or famine?" (Rom. viii, 35). " Nemo poterit me separare a
charitate Christi" — " No creature shall be able to separate me from the
charity of Christ" (Ibid., 39). Omnia arbitratus sum ut stercora, ut
Christum lucrifaciam " — " I have counted all things but as dung, that I
may gain Christ'' (Philip, iii, 8). Then strengthening her confidence,
she said with the holy prophet: "Dominus illuminatio mea et salus mea,
quern timebo?" — u The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I
fear ? " Finally, going to the choir, before the altar of the Blessed Virgin,
she offered herself to her, with these expressions : " O most pure Mary, I
offer and give myself to thee, not only with the purity and innocence I
received when I consecrated myself to thee, but with that innocence more
adorned and purified. Receive me, then, O Mary, and keep me in thy
care." After this offering she came to herself from her ecstasy, which was
so extraordinary and delightful, and had been witnessed by nearly all the
nuns, who ran to share in the joy of their wonderful sister, then so tri
umphantly freed from diabolical vexations which had been so lasting and
frightful. They could not, from the feeling of affection, of complaisance,
and, I will add, from their own mortification, restrain their tears at the
sight of this angelic soul, sending forth from her countenance, and
especially her eyes, the most ardent sparks of paradise. Having then
returned to herself, she and the nuns reciprocally proffered acts of benevo
lence, forgiveness, and esteem, and all most gladly returned to God sin
cere praises and thanksgiving.

On the following morning, the second feast of the Holy Ghost,
after Holy Communion, the Mass being nearly over, God sensibly called
Mary Magdalen, who, answered thrice — " Ecce adsum " — and was again
absorbed in ecstasy, in which she understood how, in future, as a reward
for enduring the horrible sight of the devils for the five years past,
she would have always before the eyes of her mind the presence of His
Divine Majesty. Jesus appearing to her, she was immediately filled
with unutterable joy ; and, looking steadily at Him, began to say : O my
Spouse (as I must so call Thee), the sight of the devil is very
horrible but Thine is incomparably more delightful, for Thou art, as
the prophet said : " Speciosus forma prcz filiis hominum." And as in
the past there was no time or place in which I had not to suffer the
frightful sight of those malign spirits, so now, walking, standing, work
ing, and talking, I shall always see Thee, O my Beloved. As they besides
showed themselves to my mental view, and sometimes also appeared
under various forms to my corporal eyes, so Thou also wilt be present
not only to my mind, but also to the eyes of my body to make me
rejoice and exult the more." And Jesus asking her, then, in what
form she preferred to see Him, she added : "As Thou art one God m
three Persons, therefore I will be well pleased to see Thee m three
forms, viz., as Thou wast when Thou didst dwell m Egypt, that is, m
Thy Infancy ; then as Thou wast when Thy Mother lost Thee in the
temple ; finally, as in the days of Thy Passion." No sooner had she said
these words than her wish was gratified. The Divine Redeemer showed

104 THE LIKE AND WORKS OF

Himself to her, first, as Pie was in His Infancy ; and she, all joyous, thus
expressed to Him the loving sentiments of her heart: u Oh ! behold my
little Infant just at the age of three or four years ; oh ! how beautiful
Thou art ! Thy beautiful eyes, so cheerful and smiling, and at the
same time so thoughtful and grave : Thy head encircled by a garland of
flowers, the fragrance of which draws one to embrace Thee ; Thy
tender hands adorned with three most beautiful rings. Oh! what a
wonderful thing ! Thou art little, and yet art God ; but thy littleness
makes me know Thy greatness. O greatness and littleness of my God !
I could never satiate myself looking at Thee. O little and great God,
so beautiful and attractive ! I fear that Thy beautiful aspect may make
me rejoice so that I may show it exteriorly also." Shortly after, seeing
Jesus as in His youth, she continued thus : " Oh ! behold my Spouse,
who shows Himself to me just at the age of twelve, when He was confound
ing the doctors in the temple. What an admirable countenance ! how a
meek gravity shines in it ! His eyes are not turned to the earth, nor to
heaven, but He is all recollected within Himself, to teach His bride that
she must not look to the earth, as she must have already overcome all
the things therein to be found ; and that she must not look to heaven
neither, in order not to forget her co-operation on behalf of creatures ; but,
looking at herself, she must acknowledge the vileness of the body and
despise it; the greatness and dignity of souls, and procure, with all
her might, their salvation and perfection. This gentle Youth has, in
His right hand, a book, not suitable for a tyro, but for the learned and
wise, in which He wants me to study in recompense for the time of my
affliction and darkness. In His left hand He has a harp, with which to
accompany the hymns of love. Oh ! what a sweet melody ! Oh ! how good
the Lord is to the souls who seek Him alone ! " Having become silent
for a while, she then went to kneel before the altar of the Blessed Virgin ;
and, it being already the hour when she usually received the Holy Ghost,
she begged of the Divine Spirit to communicate Himself to her as well
as to all the Religious of her monastery. She did not have to pray
long, for a short while after she saw how the Spirit was received by the
many under the form of a common ray, and by herself under that of a
loving dart, which made her feel a new ardor of heavenly flame. In
the meantime she came to herself from her rapture ; and, having restored
her body with some food, was again alienated from her senses and then
she saw Jesus in the third manner in which she wished to see Him. Look
ing at Him in that immovable attitude which is characteristic of one who is
struck with the highest amazement, she said to Him: UO my Jesus, in Thy
full manhood shall I see Thee, when I am working, when praising Thee,
and when toiling in all places but in those in which I have to regard Thee
as an infant and as a youth. I will see Thee in that beautiful and graceful
age, in which Thou didst leave Thyself as food and suffered the most
cruel passion. I will delight very much in regarding Thee as Thou
didst show Thyself to me now, sitting at the fountain (the Well of
Samaria), asking questions and enlightening the people. Yes, O my
God,^ at the fountain, because I must give glory to Thee alone, the
unfailing Fountain of all good. < Non nobis, Domine, non nobis^—
'Not to us, O Lord, not to us ' (Ps. cxiii, i). I might go through many

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. IO5

places mentally, as Thou didst do so much during that time ; but I
prefer to stop with Thee at the fountain, and sometimes I will also
anoint Thee as Magdalen did. Charity to my neighbor shall be the
ointment. The tears with which I shall wash Thy holy feet will be
that charity described by St. Paul, which consists in weeping with those
who weep, and rejoicing with those who rejoice. The hair, which is
regarded as an almost superfluous thing, will be represented by the con
descension that a soul, thinking highly of Thee, must use in adapting
herself to the frailty and littleness of her neighbors. And still, looking
on Thee at the fountain, I see Thou hast a cross at Thy right to show
that though the intense suffering of my soul, known to Thee, is ended,
neverthless another cross will be left to me, which consists in seeing that
Thou art neither loved nor understood, and that Thy will is not exe
cuted. Thou hast written in Thy hands all the words (she meant the
works) ; and how can this be that Thou takest words for works ?
Ah ! yes, I understand ; because Thou rewardest more a fervent desire
of doing a work when one cannot do it, than the work itself when done
without the desire; and if Thy work is not accomplished, it is not
because there will not be Thy will, but because there is no disposition
in creatures, and there are no generous hearts to make such beginning
as would be necessary." After a brief silence, returning to the under
standing of what the L,ord required of her, according to the order of the
life of the Incarnate Word, and having begun at the morning of His
infancy and gone through all His life, it was noticed that she entered
the passion, Jesus showing to her, under various forms, what He wanted
her to accomplish in herself; hence she spoke thus: "When I shall be
tired of my labors, I will have medicine and food with which to nourish
myself; and it will be a chalice of blood, which is the passion of my Word.
If Thou wert only a martyr, O my God, I would deem suitable to Thee
what I now see on Thy breast; but Thou art even the head of the
martyrs, and Thou dost this for my instruction. My Spouse has a palm
on His breast — of which the leaves and centre are somewhat black, but
the extremity is green — to teach me that the beginning and root of all
my works must be to do them according to God's will ; and they must
be done also with some fear, which is signified by the black around the
leaver, ; but it must be a filial fear. The black in the centre indicates
that, according to my ability, I must see not only that my works are
according to God's will, but conformable to the just who live on earth,
as the will of all just travelers can only be but one with God's. The
extremity is all green, because these works must be performed with confi
dence. I see my God with His head not covered with blood, but rather,
as the prophet said, ' Sicut unguentum in capite, quod descendit in bar-
bam, barbam Aaron ' — ' Like the precious ointment on the head, that
ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron.' (Ps. cxxxii, 2). Every
hair has its drop, which does not wait for the other ; and as soon as the
first one drops, it provokes the second, and this the third, and the third
the next : so great is the abundance of dew on His head. The drops are
nothing but the knowledge and intelligence which God imparts to the
soul, and out of which one draws the other, as by accepting one and
making it bring forth fruit, God is induced to give more, and, continu-

106 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

ing in the faithful correspondence, one obtains the whole perfection.
The head of my God is also like a small cloud, which draws to itself
the water already fallen, to again moisten the earth with it ; He
gathers the fruit and the work which the soul has done with the intel
ligence communicated to her, to re-infuse into the same new gifts and
new graces. I do not know, my L,ord, whether to-day Thou wilt show
me all the things Thou hast created. He has two tongues on His
sacred shoulders ; one of which is the praise of God, the other one is
charity ; and both speak out at one time. Here I must pay attention
and see which one speaks louder, and listen to that, but so as not
to prevent my hearing the other. If I occupy myself in some practice
of chanty, or of Religion, I must be, in desire, praising Thee, and never
leave Thy praise to attend to myself; but if I am praising Thee, I must
not be, except by loving affection, helping my neighbor. I must fore
see well whether I can practice charity before or after' praising Thee.
But if I see that by delaying some practice of charity, or of Religion,
I may cause scandal and trouble to my neighbor, I must rather delay
the praise of God than become a stumbling-block to the salvation of
the souls of others. Thus shall I hear both voices without preventing
the hearing of the one through hearing the other. Thy Word holds in
His left hand a little bell, by which He wants me to understand that I
must invite His brides to the perfection to which they are called : He
wants this little bell to give a penetrating sound, but without noise,
because I must admonish and speak with sweetness and meekness, and
never with severity of expression or manner, as a sweet and meek
speech does better than a harsh and severe one. He holds this little
bell in the left hand, as that is the side where the heart is, to show me
that the words I speak must proceed from the heart, that is, from a
heartfelt love of God and my neighbor, and that I must say nothing
except what I myself have first practiced. In His right hand my Spouse
holds a dial ; and yet Thou art God ! but for me Thou boldest this time
keeper with two faces ; on one side is the sun, on the other the moon. The
timekeeper denotes to me that I must measure time so that reward and
salvation may not have to be measured to me ; for to him who measures
not the time, the reward is measured, that is, he will not be given much
of it : a small thing is easily measured. The moon engraved on one
side shows me the changeableness of earthly and transitory things,
which we should esteem as such. The sun engraved on the other side
represents to me the constant and entire perfection of celestial things,
and of God, for whom and in whom I must give every thought, desire,
and affection. In the same hand He holds a scale, to teach me that
I must do everything thoughtfully, or with prudence ; and He also holds
with both hands a very rich sceptre, entirely of gold and adorned with
most precious stones. What else is this sceptre, O soul, but the honor
and glory due to God in all things? The stones set in it signify
taking delight in all that God delights in. He delights in the creature,
in His power, goodness, mercy, and all His other divine perfections ;
and the soul must do likewise. He holds this sceptre with both hands,
as the glory to be given Him must proceed from the love of God and our
neighbor. This God of mine has under His feet a crown that looks

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 1 07

golden, but is not ; under the crown are some lilies, under these the
devils. The crown is nothing but the glory and the honors of the world;
the lilies are the sensual pleasures, which, together with the devil and
the wicked flesh, must be kept under foot and trampled on. My Jesus,
I understand not why Thou appearest to shut Thy eyes, unless Thou
enlighten me in regard to it. By that He wants to teach the Bride-soul
that she must shut her eyes and almost fall asleep, in order not
to feel the temptations of her passions, which are within, and
which are like little children who, when they want anything, make
so much ado, with tears, or sweet smiles, or otherwise, until they
get it. Our passions often overcome us, either by fear, or by love, or by
other innumerable emotions ; but the soul must be asleep to them and
shut every opening of sensibility against them, raising herself above
them and approaching God. And, after having done these things and
many more, she must call and intimately believe herself an unworthy
servant, and unable to do any good action. Finally, my God gives
me three most worthy queens, with their suites, for if they were
unaccompanied their dignity and greatness would not be known. He
wants me always to follow in their footsteps, that I may not lose the
road which leads me to Him, my Beloved. These are three most worthy
virtues, in which I must always exercise myself; that is, charity, mercy
and purity, or truth and righteousness, as I may call it, together with
the suite of holy humility, as the virtues which are not accompanied by
humility cannot be truly called virtues, and are of no value before God
or for the soul."

Here she became silent for a good length of time ; and then, recom
mending all creatures to God, came to herself from her ecstasy, in which
she had been about twenty-one hours. With such bountiful reward of
celestial graces and superhuman knowledge did God immediately re ward
the sufferings of five years, endured with such an heroic constancy and
generosity by the noble and holy Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi.

Let us here remark, once for all : She spoke Latin, quoted and
applied the texts of the Holy Scriptures with as much skill as if she
were a profound theologian. We have had, so far, some proofs of it,
and shall have more in abundance as we proceed to relate her achieve
ments. Behold, therefore, a new argument to prove that her spirit was
of God ; for, uninstructed by human means in this language, and much
less instructed in the knowledge of biblical texts, she could not use the
former and quote the latter so easily and adroitly, unless by the help of
Him who, animating the clay by His simple breath, and forming of it as
great a number of vessels as there are individuals in all human-kind,
sometimes infuses His wisdom into the weakest of them, that the strong,
not to himself, but to the Divine Source alone, may return the honor
and the glory of every good thing.

108 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XIX.

GOD REVEALS TO HER THE STATE OF VARIOUS SOULS DEPARTED
FOR THE OTHER LIFE.

JHEN any nun of her monastery shut her eyes to time,
to open them in eternity, she recommended her to God
with prayers so pressing, that often, being rapt in ecstasy,
God favored her by showing her the state of that soul.
This also happened in regard to the souls of some per
sons unknown to her, for whom she was praying to God
at another's request. She knew so well their state, that,
comparing her manifestation with what these persons had
done during life, there was no doubt left of her being inspired of God.

1. SHE FORESEES THE DELIVERANCE OF HER BROTHER'S SOUL
FROM PURGATORY. — The first soul known by her while in this life,
to be in purgatory, was her brother's, as we related in Chapter XV.
Through her most fervent prayers, her brother soon obtained deliverance
from that painful prison, and she learned the kno wledge of their efficacy,
so that, turning her mind to him, she then pronounced these words :
" Happy thou, O beloved brother, as thou wilt soon be called to eternal
bliss, and, though great and unutterable are the pains, still they are not
equal to the future inexpressible and incomprehensible glory prepared
for thee in heaven."

2. SHE SEES THE SOUL OF A NUN OF HER MONASTERY, WHO,
AFTER SIXTEEN DAYS IN PURGATORY, ASCENDS GLORIOUSLY TO
HEAVEN. — On the 3d of February, 1588, whilst alienated from her
senses, it was given her to see the soul of a sister of her monastery, who,
sixteen days after she had passed out of this life, was going gloriously
into heaven ; and she understood that for three particular reasons she
had been detained during that time in the pains of purgatory : First,
because on festival-days (as she was very skillful in handiwork) she had
done something not altogether necessary ; secondly, because, as a
senior mother of that religious family, she failed once, through human
respect, to notify the superiors of something which she felt she ought
to make known for the welfare of the monastery ; thirdly, because she
was too much attached to her relatives. Those who preside over a
family, either religious or lay, private or public, should not fail to apply
to themselves the second case, whence it appears that they must receive
with affability, gratitude, and efficacious determination any judicious

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. IOQ

person who may reach their hearts by the voice of truth ; but they are
often unable to hear this voice, because their sensual appetites are too
well fed, they are too puffed up by vainglorious complacency and too much
deceived by false adulation. It is the will of God that the great man
should sometimes be advised and guided by the inferior, so that, through
the elevation of one and the lowering of the other, the human parity estab
lished by the eternal law may remain unalterable. Immediately were
revealed to our Saint the three virtues of the same soul, by which she
understood that the sufferings of purgatory were shortened for her:
The first was the solicitous care with which she always had en
deavored to preserve the purity and simplicity of her Religion ;
the second, the great charity which she practiced for all the sisters
during life ; the third, having always taken in good part all she
saw or heard. Therefore our Saint saw, afterwards, that this happy
soul, purified from all stains, and rich in merits, was going to enjoy the
Sovereign Good, accompanied by her Guardian Angel and St. Miniato,
Martyr, who, according to the custom of the monastery, had been
appointed her protector for that year. At such a sight Magdalen was
filled with joy, and felt an ardent desire to follow that soul, in order to
hasten to the full enjoyment of her beloved Spouse, Jesus.

3. SHE SEES THE SOUL OF ANOTHER NUN OF HER MONASTERY, WHO
HAD BEEN BUT FIFTEEN HOURS IN PURGATORY, GOING TO HEAVEN.—

On the 5th of June of the year 1589, a nun died, in whose behalf St.
Mary Magdalen had performed very many charitable acts during her
last illness. As they were about to bury the body, Magdalen was look
ing at it from a church blind, and while doing so she was rapt in
ecstasy, and saw the soul of her fellow-sister ascending to heaven ; hence
she said : " Farewell, sister ; adieu, blessed soul ; thou goest to paradise,
like a pure dove, leaving us all here below. Oh ! how glorious and
beautiful thou art ! And who could recount thy. beauty ? How short a
time thou hast remained in the flames! Thy body ^is not yet buried,
and thy soul flies to the glory of the blessed. Now thou dost fully un
derstand what I was telling thee while yet on earth, viz., that it will
seem to thee as if thou hadst not suffered anything, when thy sufferings
are compared to the glory that Jesus hath prepared for thee in paradise."
She also understood then that that sister had remained but fifteen hours
in purgatory, because she had borne with great patience all the troubles
she encountered during life, and especially the very great pains of her
last illness. As soon as the body disappeared from the view of those
present, Magdalen returned to her senses, saying : " At the same time
that they give burial to the body, the soul is placed forever in heaven."

4. SHE SEES THE SOUL OF A NUN OF HER MONASTERY SUR
ROUNDED BY FLAMES, ADORING THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND SHE
UNDERSTANDS THE REASON FOR IT. — Another day of the same year,
1589, whilst she was in the choir praying, the soul of a deceased nun
of her monastery appeared to her, covered with flames, as if with a
mantle, under which a white habit was apparent ; and in that condi
tion that soul adored the Kucharistic Sacrament in deep reverence.
Magdalen, asking of God the meaning of this, understood how the
white habit had been given that sister for having preserved her virginity

110 THE UFE AND WORKS OF

inviolate until death ; the mantle of fire which covered her had been
given to her in punishment for some faults ; and she was ordered to stay
before the Blessed Sacrament covered with that mantle, in punishment
for having several times during life omitted Holy Communion ; and that,
just for this neglect, she had to stay every day for one hour in such
adoration till she had wholly atoned for the fault, after which she
would fly up to heaven. Accordingly this soul was seen by our Saint,
not long after, going to the bliss of eternal rest.

5. SHE SEES IN PURGATORY THE SOUL OF HER MOTHER LOOK
ING VERY CHEERFUL, AS SHE WAS SOON TO GO AND ENJOY THE ETER
NAL GLORY ; AND IN THIS VISION MANY THINGS ARE MADE KNOWN TO
HER. — In Advent of the year 1590, Maria Buondelmonti De-Pazzi, the
happy mother of Magdalen, paying to the Author of nature the common
tribute, ended her life of edification, of love, of zeal, and of sorrows.
When the sad news reached Magdalen, she said she knew it already, as,
when her mother breathed her last, she felt an unusual pain in her heart
and a strong inclination to kneel and say a Requiem ceternam for her
mother's soul. This she did not do, however, as she was in the presence
of many nuns. With all the love with which the filial sentiment
inspired her, she quickly withdrew to give vent to her wishes and sup
plications for the salvation of this soul, rather than to lamentations
and tears for the loss of the body. In the meantime, reciting the
Miserere, she was rapt in ecstasy, and then saw in purgatory the soul of
her mother, very cheerful and contented, as though little children were
removing the flames from around her, and the tears of the poor who
were weeping over her death gave her great relief in those pains. The
little children, she understood, were those whom, during life, she had
taught and led in the way of the Lord, as she had so wisely done by
word and example ; the tears were those of indigent persons* to whom
she was wont to distribute help in the true spirit of charity. Here, her
mother disappearing, her Guardian Angel presented himself to her mind,
and from him she understood many things concerning the indescribable
glory of paradise prepared for the merits of this soul, particularly because
of her works of charity, not so much exterior as interior, on behalf of her
neighbors; and that she would shortly pass to enjoy that glory. Mag
dalen said to the angel that she wished to possess three things with which
her mother was endowed : her great righteousness, her prudence, and
her tolerance and resignation, by which she preserved her equanimity,
both in prosperous and in adverse circumstances. After these petitions,
she came to herself from her rapture, and then continued to pray daily
for the hasty deliverance of her dearly beloved mother. On the eve of
the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, it being just fifteen days since her
mother had departed this life, she understood, in a new ecstasy, how her
soul on ^ the morning of that same day, at the hour corresponding
to that in which it had left her body, had flown up to heaven ; and
she saw it, all joyful, glancing at the side of the Word, and there it
stopped, as at the time of death it possessed God in the act of charity.
She had already seen how her patron Saints had carried her soul
into heaven like an eagle, how St. Catherine adorned it with a habit
of blood, St. Agnes with various flowers, and St. John the Baptist

The Blessed Virgin puts a spotless white veil on her (page 89).

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. Ill

placed on her head a crown, at which she, greatly wondering, being still
in her rapture, uttered these words: " How and why is the halo placed
011 thy head since thou hast not been a virgin, nor hast thou been num
bered among those who had the desire of virginity, as thou hast been
satisfied with the state and vocation in which God placed thee?" . .
She then understood that her mother had merited that crown for her
great suffering, especially interior, on account of some sad causes, which
so often exist in the case of those who are obliged to live in contact with
society. She also saw how the Blessed Virgin embellished that soul in
different ways, because, while in this world, she held her name in great
reverence and devotion, to her own great advantage and profit. Having
then remained for a while to look at the position of her mother, she re
ceived from her the three following counsels: First, that she should
seek the highest possible degree of humility ; secondly, that she should
practice obedience with exactitude ; thirdly, that in all things she
should use prudence. Thus ended the ecstatic vision regarding the soul
of her mother. Some days after, in another ecstasy, God showed her
in heaven, rich in glory, the soul of a priest she had known, and who,
during his lifetime, had done much for his own perfection and for the
eternal salvation of others.

6. SHE SEES THE SOULS OF TWO PERSONS KNOWN TO HER CON
DEMNED TO ETERNAL TORMENTS. — In the year 1594, on the 22d
of December, her spirit being raised above her senses, she saw the
soul of an unhappy man at the moment that he passed from his death
bed to the eternal torments. God revealed to her that the chief cause of
his damnation was his having held in contempt the treasures of Holy
Church, laughing at the indulgences and all the other graces the Church
benignly imparts to her faithful children ; which contempt indicates the
depth of iniquity into which a wretched man may fall. Again, after a
few days, having reentered an ecstasy, she saw the soul of another man
surrounded by infernal flames, to which Divine Justice had condemned
him. At such a sight Magdalen grew pale and became -so frightened
that she nearly fainted ; and, in a piteous voice, she began to say to
him : " Unhappy man ! Thou hast become a firebrand of hell; soon thy
pastimes were changed into horrible and everlasting pains.". And, gaz
ing up to heaven, she continued : "O Eternal God! the people of the
world do not meditate well on these things." By which words, and the
manner of her uttering them, she inspired those present with great fear,
and she was left so depressed by the awfulness of the vision, that for
several days she was unable to find a thought that would restore her to
tranquillity. She made known afterwards, by customary obedience, that
God had granted her these two visions that she and her companions, the
nuns of her monastery, might be more inflamed with zeal for the salva
tion of souls, and try to appease Divine Justice by their prayers and
penances.

7. SHE SEES THE SOUL3 OF MANY RELIGIOUS DAMNED FOR NOT
OBSERVING THE VOW OF POVERTY, AND FOR OTHER SlNS. — One Sun
day, while they were singing vespers in the choir, she was rapt in ecstasy,
and the Lord showed her a great number of souls falling down, like

112 THE LIKE AND WORKS OK

lightning, into hell ; and having asked of God who they might be, she
was told that they were the souls of Religious who, having lived in
monasteries of lax observance, by transgressing their vows, and par
ticularly that of poverty, had been sentenced to eternal torments. This
had been done also because they had used the sacred habit to feed their
vanity and fickleness, with offense to modesty and religious decorum.
Hence, weeping, she said: UO unhappy souls, how much better would
it have been for you, if you had remained in the world, than to have
bound yourselves by solemn promises in the cloister, without observing
them ! Now your torments increase in proportion to your unfulfilled
obligations. . . . O religious poverty, how little thou art known and
practiced ! If thou wert justly appreciated by those who profess to fol
low thee, the cells would not be seen full of ornaments; the keeping of
money to be spent according to one's will would be abhorred like poison ;
and so many other vain pomps, unbecoming the true Religious, would
be banished from the sacred cloisters. Oh ! how the beauty of religious
poverty, O my Jesus, has become deformed by the possession of accursed
property ! Oh ! how many souls of Religious are burning in hell for not
having held in esteem and observed holy poverty !" Without fathoming
the hidden thoughts of an individual, still the world itself has the right to
ask of those who profess religious perfection : Why so much affectation in
a habit which in its form indicates penance, and which even in its color
signifies innocence? Why that luxury in dwellings, which rivals that
of the world ? The pretext fox this luxury, that men of great dignity
are received therein, is a vain one ; as the religious houses should repre
sent the stable of Bethlehem, where the kings and the shepherds alike
were received. It is impossible not to be convinced, upon the first accusa
tion, of levity of spirit ; hence, those who are guilty of it, being unfaith
ful to their assumed obligation, or, at least, incapable of doing all the
good which is expected of them, are justly destined to that place where
sighs, and cries, and loud lamentations resound through the air, and of
whom it was "well said :—

Forthwith

I understood, for certain, this the tribe
Of those ill spirits both to God displeasing
And to his foes.— Dante's (Carey Trans.) Hell, III.

But, thanks to Divine Providence, even to-day, in the midst of that
class of persons, there are not wanting those who by their example,
wisdom, and doctrine, which secure their perfection, lead others also
into the path of salvation ; and this is particularly the case among the
children of St. Francis, who follow more strictly the spirit of Jesus
Christ, by poverty alone, which their holy founder called his lady, and on
which he willed that the Order he was erecting should chiefly rest.

Then, the season come that he,

Who to such good had destined .him, was pleas'd

To advance him to the meed, which he had earn'd

By self-humbling ; to his brotherhood,

As their just heritage, he gave in charge

This dearest lady ; and enjoin'd their love

And faith to her —Daniels (Carey Trans.) Parad. XI.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 113

Another time, likewise in ecstasy, Magdalen saw a great multitude
of souls of cloistered persons who were burning in the everlasting flames,
because, to the great offense of God, they had abused the time which by
the rules is generally granted for the recreation of the body, that after
wards they might, with greater zest, attend to devotions. Here she also
wept bitterly, and with a voice of sorrow pronounced these words :
" O wretched Religious souls ! O great misery, that what is granted to
Religious for their recreation should become the cause of their eternal
ruin ! " And she offered to God the most fervent prayers, that He
might condescend to enlighten those souls, bound by solemn vows,
and having still time for penance left to them.

8. SHE SEES THE SOUL OF A NUN OF HER MONASTERY WHO,
AFTER BEING DEPRIVED OF THE BEATIFIC VISION FOR FlVE HOURS,
GOES TO POSSESS THE ETERNAL JOYS. — In 1598, about the end of October,
in said monastery, Sister Maria Benedetta Vittori died, young in age, but
old in virtue and perfection. Our Magdalen, who never failed to assist in
cases of extreme importance, being present at her death, saw a great multi
tude of angels surrounding her and waiting for her to draw her last breath.
The following morning, whilst the body of the deceased was in the
church, and Mass was being sung for her soul, she was rapt in ecstasy,
and saw the soul of the sister in paradise, adorned with a glory superior
to that of any other nun in the monastery who had previously died.
Describing the ornaments and delights of that soul, she told how,
in reward for her ardent charity, she was dressed with a gilt mantle ;
and, for having always dealt with her neighbor in loyalty and meekness,
a most sweet liquid came out of the mouth of Jesus into her own, and
made her taste a great sweetness, and she freely fixed her eyes on the
humanity and divinity of the Word. Magdalen, moved by the sight of
so delightful an object, exclaimed in a voice of joy and complacency :
UO my dove, how beautiful art thou! how resplendent with celestial
light ! I know that now thou dost not go with thy head bowed down,
as thou wast wont to do when amongst us." In the meantime she
understood that this soul had been detained in purgatory five hours
before ascending to heaven, but had not suffered there any pain of the
senses, only the privation of the sight of God, and this for a very slight
fault of self-love, which was that on seeing anyone displeased on her
account she grieved so much that she was thereby distracted from her
recollection in God. After this, recommending to that blessed soul her
self and her monastery, the sweet vision ceased, and she returned to her
senses. She had also seen in purgatory the soul of a Florentine gentle
woman, who suffered heavily for having prevented her daughter from
becoming a nun.

9. BY FORCE OF ENTREATY SHE OBTAINS THE SALVATION OF
THE SOULS OF TWO MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH. — As human justice
was leading two wretches to the last punishment, near the monastery
of St. Maria degli Angeli, where they had treacherously perpetrated
a murder, our Saint being informed of it, brought into action all the
zeal of her most loving heart for the salvation of their souls, and
doubled the efforts of her tender and winning mediation with the

114 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

Divine Mercy. At the moment in which the life of these two creatures
of God was being cut off by the hand of man, Magdalen, rapt out of her
senses, understood how the souls of both had passed to a place of salva
tion : one ascending immediately to heaven, on account of a perfect resig
nation to die ; the other, after a short stay in purgatory, because less
resigned. Which, in fact, corresponded to the disposition of each
of them in the different manner of submitting to their sad doom.
The Christian death of both was chiefly attributed to the prayers of
Mother Mary Magdalen, the assiduity, energy, and efficacy of which, in
the eternal behalf of these two unhappy men, were known to all.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

CHAPTER XX.

SHE SEES IN HEAVEN THE GLORIOUS ST. LOUIS GONZAGA OF THE

SOCIETY OF JESUS.

iHB language of the passions and that of ignorance easily
lead us to generalize an opinion either in favor of cer
tain classes of society or against them. In the strangest
and most illogical manner a uniform character is attributed
to all the members constituting a class of persons ; and,
generally, this is in a bad sense, on account of the evil
tendency of man to speak ill of his neighbor and calumniate
him rather than to speak well of him and justify him. From
the faults of some members the whole body is judged ; hence, the
most monstrous injustice to the innocent ones. The ecclesiastical con
gregations, and particularly the regular ones, are subject, more than
others, to such wholesale condemnation ; and among these none has
been or is still so maligned as the Society of Jesus. Men conspicuous
for doctrine, power, and wealth joined the rabble ; nay, they themselves
urged the attack on the Jesuits. Their rich possessions and their sup
posed meddling in family and political affairs are causes for displeas
ure, as thereby their spirit seems very unevangelical, viz., little loyal, but
rather exceptionally egotistical in regard to other religious corporations.
These faults may be the effect of the abuse of individual men, whose
passions are never extinguished while on earth ; but they can never sup
ply an honest pretext for inflicting a condemnation on the whole moral
body. (Some other pernicious things of which the world sometimes
complains, blaming the Jesuits for them, are rather to be blamed on
those who, not being Jesuits in garb, affect to belong to them by affili
ation, taking from them all their faults and none of their virtues ; hence,
their spirit is moved by false zeal, which gnaws at charity and begets
dissension, so that, more than others, these restless proselytizers disfigure
and injure both the Company of St. Ignatius and the holy religion
of Christ.) On the other hand, the perfection in science and virtue of
so many members of this Company, who have spent their lives for the
good of society in general, gives it the most legal and sacred right to
public esteem and gratitude. To-day they militate under laws wholly
identical with those that gave us such advantages ; so that there is no
reason why the latter should not be reproduced. Therefore, not with
contempt, which is ill adapted to persuade anybody, but with words

THE LIFK AND WORKS OF

of conviction and the evidence of facts, we must enter into their spirit,
that they may lend us their hand to help us to walk steadfastly according
to the needs of the day. It is a common saying that ignominious and
coercive forms do not suit the present times, nor the ideas thereof. Let
us, then, practice with everyone this most sound principle, and let us be
convinced that modern society cannot reach its normal state until we
uniformly come to an understanding in order to establish the universal
brotherhood of man, to which object the wishes of all wise persons tend.
Intellects have already been shaken ; young people, above all, pant after
the knowledge of truth. Who gives them the glass in which to see
themselves, and learn good morals, philanthropy, uprightness, and all
that constitutes a young man such as the country may rest her hopes on?
Who but the Jesuit in the person of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, reared and
raised till the age of seventeen in a princely family, a model of purity
and humility, and who lived in the Company of Jesus till the age
of twenty- three? In that year of his age, which was the year 1591, a
fierce pestilence broke out in Rome and cruelly scourged all Italy.
During this plague, he gave proof of possessing the charity for his
brethren of which Christ said there is none greater, viz., that charity which
makes one give up his life for others ; and thus rendered himself such
a model of spiritual perfection that there is no college or society of
young people among Catholics, which has not chosen him as a protector
and a guide. It is certainly a difficult thing for the Company to give
us a second St. Aloysius ; but it cannot be denied that many of its
members have several times since made great efforts to approach, as near
as possible, his sanctity. We had an evident proof of this in our own
days, when the pestilential scourge in 1837 again struck the lofty coun
tenance of the Eternal City. It was then that the children of St.
Ignatius distinguished themselves in a marvelous and singular manner
in assisting corporally and spiritually the unhappy ones affected with
cholera morbus, when some of the ecclesiastics, even the regular ones,
had retired to avoid the contagion. The world, then, may yet look for
some good from the Jesuits ; and as their social position, in preference
to other Religious, enables them to do much good if they are filled with
the pure spirit of their founder, just as they might do great harm if this
spirit degenerates into a spirit of turbulence, intrigue, stubbornness,
hypocrisy; therefore we must exhaust with them .all the means of con
ciliation. And if this should prove to be useless, let us weep over
the loss of those who wish to be lost ; but let us respect the dignity, the
right, the justice of the innocent, whom we will always find amidst all
classes of persons.1

To our St. Mary Magdalen, who was well disposed towards the
Company of Jesus, God wanted to give a fresh proof of the very high
perfection of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. On the 4th of April of the year
1600, whilst she was praying with a very high degree of fervor, her mind
was^ raised to the celestial beatitude, where she saw this angel of
purity, radiant with sovereign splendor, enjoying with a most joyous

i The reader should bear in mind the prevailing spirit of the times in which the
original was written.— Note of the Translator.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 1 17

and glorious countenance the unutterable reward of his virtues. Daz
zled by the sight of this heavenly object, with pauses and interruptions,
she uttered these words: uOh! how much glory Louis, the son of
Ignatius, possesses ! I would never have believed it, unless Thou, O my
Jesus, had shown him to me. ... It seems to me in a certain manner
that there could scarcely be so much glory in heaven as that which
Louis enjoys. ... I say that Louis is a great Saint. . . . We have saints
in church (she meant Saints whose sacred relics they had in the church
of the monastery) who, I believe, have not so much glory. ... I would
like to be able to go through the whole world, and say that Louis, son of
Ignatius, is a great Saint ; and I would like to be able to show his glory
to everyone, that God might be glorified. . . . He possesses so much glory
because of his interior work. . . . Who could ever relate the value and
the merit of interior works ? There is no comparison between the
interior and the exterior. . . . Louis, whilst on earth, kept his mouth
open to the Word " (she meant to say that this Saint loved the interior
inspirations of the Word and tried to fulfill them) . . . " Louis was a hid
den martyr ; because he who loves Thee, my God, knows that Thou art
so great and infinitely amiable, that it is a great martyrdom to him to see
that he does not love Thee as much as he wishes to love Thee; and that
Thou art not loved, but rather offended by creatures. . . . He made
himself a martyr also. . . . Oh ! how much he loved Thee on earth !
hence he now rejoices in heaven in great fullness of love. . . . While
on earth, the heart of the Word pierced him with darts ; now that he is
in heaven, those darts rest in his heart ; as he now understands and
enjoys those communications that he merited by the acts of love and
union which he performed, and which were like darts." In seeing that
this Saint prayed warmly for those who, during life, gave him spiritual
help, she added : " I, too, will try to help souls, that, if any of them
go to heaven, they may pray for me, as St. Louis does for those who,
while on earth, assisted him." Here the Saint ceasing to speak, the
vision and the rapture ended ; but she continued to venerate the Jesuit
Luigi Gonzaga with great reverence and with the most tender and
constant devotion all her lifetime.

n8

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XXL

SHE SEES AND FEELS FAR-OFF THINGS AS IF THEY
WERE PRESENT.

JJMONG the supernatural gifts with, which God vouchsafed to
deck this bride of His, was this one, viz., her seeing and
feeling things far from her as if they were present to her.
She was several times favored with this gift, and especially
in the following cases :—

i. SHE SEES IN SPIRIT AN ANSWER WHICH THE
MOTHER, SISTER CATHERINE DE-RICCI, IN ST. VINCENT DI
PRATO, WAS GIVING TO ONE OF HER LETTERS. — In 1586,
whilst Magdalen was one day in ecstasy in the novitiate hall, she dictated
a letter addressed to Sister Catherine De-Ricci, a nun at that time living
in the monastery of St. Vincent in Prato, and now enjoying the glory of
heaven, and on earth the honors of the altar. The letter being sealed, it
was sent to its destination by the steward of the monastery. A few
hours having elapsed, and Magdalen still continuing in the same ecstasy,
from the words uttered she gave the nuns to understand that she saw the
steward handing the letter to Sister Catherine ; and shortly after, from the
movement of her eyes, she appeared to read what that sister was writing
in answer. As this answer did not fully meet her desire, she became
somewhat troubled in her appearance ; and she also seemed to see
the answer handed to somebody. About four hours afterward the stew
ard returned with it, and was questioned by the sisters as to the time
and other circumstances attending the execution of the commission.
The letter was read by the superioress, who, having received from the
Saint, after her rapture, a complete explanation of it, found everything
to coincide with what had been ecstatically revealed to her.

2. WHILE IN THE REFECTORY, SHE SAW THAf A NUN OF HER
MONASTERY WAS DYING SUDDENLY IN A REMOTE CELL. — In 1591, on
a Friday evening, being in the refectory for the purpose of taking
some little food with the other sisters, Mary Magdalen suddenly arose
from the table, and, swiftly going to the superioress, told her
with vehemence : " Mother, that soul passes away ! " Without saying
anything further, she ran to the room where Sister Mattea Focardi,
a lay-sister, was confined, because of a sore on her right leg, which was
far from threatening death. By day, although confined to her room

Being rapt in ecstasy, she receives Holy Communion from
Jesus Christ Himself ( page 90).

iiS

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 119

but not to bed, she would work with promptness of spirit and agility of
body. When Magdalen arrived, followed by other nuns, by the order of
the mother prioress, Sister Mattea was found to be in her last agony ;
and, the Saint recommending her soul, in a few minutes the dying one
expired.

3. FROM AFAR SHE HEARS TWO NOVICES, WHO WERE IN A REMOTE

PLACE, MURMURING ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORS. — During the time when
our Saint attended the novices in the company of the mistress, Sister
Vangelista del Giocondo, she was speaking with her one day on an un
important subject. She suddenly said, as if she had heard something
extraneous to it: ''Mother, those two creatures speak not well; I will
go and correct them." Guided by the Spirit of God, who, on account of
her desire for the perfection of souls, manifested to her hidden things,
she went directly to where these novices were, and found her vision to
be true, as they themselves avowed both to her and to Sister Vangelista.

4. FROM THE MONASTERY SHE SEES AND HEARS THE FATHER
RECTOR OF THE JESUITS IN THE COLLEGE OF FLORENCE CONFERRING
WITH HIS ASSOCIATES. — In the year 1600, one Saturday evening about
dark, she called to her the novice De-Berti, who in the world had been
a penitent of the Rector of the Jesuits, and thus questioned her :
"What dost thou think father rector is doing at this hour?" The
novice answered: UI think he must be praying." "He is not
praying," the Saint replied, " but talking with some of the fathers about
such things (she named them) ; and the Holy Ghost is forming all the
wor/is which he utters." On the following day, the above-named father
having come, as the extraordinary confessor, to hear the sisters' con
fessions, she told him what she had seen and heard of him the evening
previous, and he declared that her vision corresponded in every respect to
the facts.

5. SHE ANNOUNCES WITH CERTAINTY THE DEATH OF A NOBLEMAN

OF FLORENCE BEFORE THE NOTICE OF IT REACHES THE MONASTERY. —
Pier -Francesco Santucci, of a distinguished Florentine family, was lying
grievously ill, though not extremely so. He had a daughter, a nun and
a companion of Magdalen in religion and in the monastery. The Saint,
being alienated from her senses, seeing in spirit his passing, went to his
daughter, and, taking her by the hand, said to her : " Sister, weep not ; thy
father, by the merits of Christ and the intercession of St. Francis, for
whom he entertained so much devotion, has passed at this moment to a
place of salvation." The steward of the monastery was immediately
dispatched to the Santucci palace, and in a very short time he returned
with confirmation of the above news ; and the daughter attested that her
father entertained great devotion to St. Francis, paying to him daily
homage by several exercises of affectionate piety.

6. SEVERAL TIMES SHE SEES IN SPIRIT THE ACTIONS OF HER
FATHER CONFESSOR. — The father confessor being in the church, and
she in a remote cell, knowing nothing of him, it so happened that
she saw him spiritually several times, and she manifested the vision as
follows: u I see the blood of Christ dropping from heaven upon souls :
the father is in church hearing confessions ; I, too, will go and receive
this blood." And she went, and found him, in fact, engaged in that

120 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

work. It also happened that when he was leaving the house or some other
place, or was in the street, coming to the monastery, Magdalen by
divine inspiration would speak of it to the nuns, and shortly after they
would see him arrive. One day more distinctly feeling a strong desire
to speak to her confessor, and being at that time in the refectory for the
midday meal, whilst in the act of putting the food into her mouth, she
was rapt in ecstasy ; and then, seeing in spirit that the father had
reached the church, she dropped on the table what she held in her hand,
and without delay ran to him. He had, in fact, arrived, and she con
ferred with him on some of the favors with which God had privileged her.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

131

CHAPTER XXIL

SHE FORETELLS THINGS TO COME AND SEES HIDDEN ONES.

ESI DBS the aforesaid gift of knowing things from far off as
if they were happening under her own eye, Magdalen had
also the other one of foreseeing and foretelling them long
before they happened. Whilst praying to God for the
happy issue of some future thing, she was nearly always
not only heard but granted a prevision of it. The nuns
soon became aware with certainty of this most distinct
privilege ; and, afterwards, even secular persons ; so that
both the former and the latter, moved by inborn curiosity to know
the future, used to go to her, for this purpose, often and with persist
ence, and would then notice her words and sayings with the greatest
accuracy. But she, knowing what they wished, was very cautious in
guarding such a precious gift with the virtue of humility, not manifest
ing her power except to her spiritual director, the superioress, or some
sister who enjoyed her confidence. To others, and especially persons
in the world, she would give general answers, even when she had a cer
tain and special prevision. This she did on accouirt of her humility,
which, by unalterable Divine disposition, was followed by greater exal
tation. She was so penetrated by the spirit of prophecy, that often,
without wishing it, she manifested to any one future things, especially
during her ecstasies, when being filled with a supernatural force,
she could not resist, as God then was speaking by her voice. During
them, she was often heard to say : " Keep it to Thyself, O L,ord, keep
it to Thyself:" meaning, by this, to annihilate any possible sentiment
of curiosity or of her own worthiness. She considered herself wholly
unworthy of such communications ; and that they might at least
remain unknown to others, she would offer pressing prayers to God.
Consequently, as a reward, she had more of them than could be counted,
through God's wisdom and liberality. The following are the most
remarkable ones : —

I. SHE PREDICTS THAT CARDINAL DE-MEDICI, ARCHBISHOP OF
FLORENCE, WOULD BECOME POPE, BUT THAT HE WOULD ONLY LIVE A
SHORT TIME IN SUCH DIGNITY. — In September of the year 1586, when
the nomination of the new prioress of the monastery of St. Maria degli
Angeli was about to take place, His Eminence Alessandro De Medici,

122 THE UFK AND WORKS OF

Cardinal Archbishop of Florence, was coming to preside over the election.
Magdalen was divinely inspired to speak to him on this occasion, about
various things concerning the government of the Florentine Church, and
particularly about that of her monastery. Some persons had so maliciously
spoken to His Eminence about the Father Confessor, that he was almost
resolved to remove him. The Saint, knowing this tendency, and judging
it contrary to the will of God and the welfare of the monastery, felt
determined to speak frankly about it to the Cardinal. But she wished
first to submit her determination to the mother prioress and the con
fessor himself for advice. Both of them opposed her so much in this
that they were actually thinking of obliging her to hide in her cell dur
ing the hours in which His Eminence would hear the opinion of the
nuns. Prudential reasons moved them to this. But man's counsel is
powerless against God's will. On the 29th of September, the day
appointed for the election, Magdalen, having received Holy Communion
early in the morning, became immediately alienated from her senses,
and, while thus ecstatic, stopped at the grate of the chapter, which
looks towards the church, where the superior was to receive the voice
(vote) of the nuns ; and the virtue of the Spirit of God kept her immov
able many hours, that is, until the arrival of His Eminence ; so that
not even by force could she be removed or even shaken. At the sight
of the Cardinal this immovability turned into a great animation of spirit,
which made her suddenly utter these words in an ecstatic and majestic
manner : " Alexander, Alexander, noli tang ere christos meos, et in
andllis meis noli malignari" • —" Touch thou not my anointed: and do
no evil to my handmaids" (Ps. civ, 15) — adding afterwards that which
God inspired her to manifest in behalf of the monastery and the con
fessor. Then she came out of her ecstasy, and left the place. His Emi
nence, greatly amazed at what he had heard, could not at the moment
answer anything, but that this daughter had spoken well in the person
of the Holy Ghost. He was so touched by it, that, after the ceremony,
he had the Saint called to him and discoursed with her for a while,
drawing therefrom evident proofs of her sanctity, and ineffable consola
tion for his heart. Before leaving the monastery, he greatly com
mended the virtue of Magdalen to Sister Vangelista del Giocondo, the
new prioress, telling her that during the private colloquy Magdalen
had foretold him that he was to be Pope. Magdalen corroborated
this fact to the superioress when she asked her about it. When, after
the lapse of some years, the same Cardinal was called to Rome to be
sent to France as a Legate a latere of His Holiness Clement VIII, while
going thither, and as he was in the street opposite the monastery of
Santa Maria degli Angeli, Magdalen, who then was contemplating
ecstatically the divine attributes, pronounced these words: " This
Christ (such was the name she gave to the prelates) has received
to-day a great honor, and will reach the supreme one; but it will
not last long; when he will want to embrace his glory, it will dis
appear." ^The same prediction she made several times 'when not in
ecstasy; it was verified in 1605, when said Cardinal was elected
Sovereign Pontiff, assuming the name of Leo XI ; and the -completion
of this prophecy took place twenty-seven days afterwards, when, leaving

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

the pomp that the world was prodigally giving him, he returned the
dust of his body to the earth, and his soul appeared before that terrible
Judgment-Seat, before which no human power can take exception.

2. SHE FORESEES THAT SOME GlRLS WILL BECOME NUNS IN

HER MONASTERY. — On account of the love this Saint bore her Re
ligion, she did her best in order that the rules would be invariably
observed : thus she constantly prayed to God that he might, for
this monastery, select souls endowed with the true spirit ; which being
granted her by Divine Goodness, several times some girls were made
known to her in spirit whom God proposed would become nuns therein ;
and especially in the following instance : One day in 1 590, being in ecstasy,
she said that she saw the Blessed Virgin leading a girl from the Indies, to
become a nun among them. The sisters present, hearing this news, were
troubled, as it would be very much against their wishes to accept foreign
ers. The cause of their trouble becoming known to the Saint, she
assured them, that, being led by the Blessed Virgin, that girl would
certainly be endowed with all the virtues suitable to this vocation; and
said, in particular, that she would be a lover of poverty, of self-abase
ment, and much enlightened as to the religious life. This prophecy was
fulfilled five years afterwards, when, in 1595, Catherine, daughter of
Roderigo Ximenez, a Portuguese, having been brought to Florence
by her parents to marry into a noble family of that city, refused all
earthly espousals, and chose the religious state in said monastery ; all of
which happened a month after her arrival in Florence. She was called
Sister Catherine Angelica. On the day of her receiving the habit,
Magdalen foretold many things which were to happen to her during her
life; and she herself testified in time that these came to pass just as the
Saint had foretold.

In 1598, a Florentine girl of the noble family De-Berti, to please
an aunt, entered the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli for ten days.
For several reasons she had positively decided to become a nun among
the Dominicans of St. Catherine of Florence. But witnessing, during
one of these days, a rapture of our Saint, she felt constrained to question
her thus: " Dost thou believe, mother, that I am to be a nun in this
monastery? ' ' And Magdalen immediately answered : " I not only believe
it, but know with certainty that thou shalt be here with us. " This seem
ing impossible to the girl, and whilst she was thinking of some difficul
ties she foresaw, Magdalen, as if seeing her thoughts, subjoined : "Jesus
will send down some of His dew on these hearts and will mollify them,
and every difficulty will vanish." The same thing she repeated to her
another time at the gates of the monastery, when this girl had come
out ; and she showed herself so sure of it that, if an angel had told her
the contrary, she would have taken him for a demon. The prophecy of
the Saint was fulfilled, as the De-Berti became a nun in this monastery;
and, out of veneration and gratitude, she wished and obtained to be
called Sister Mary Magdalen.

At that time there was being educated, in the above-mentioned
monastery of St. Catherine, Francesca de Sommai, a noble Florentine girl,,
who, because of her singular goodness and innocence, being like an
angel in the flesh, was greatly loved by the said De-Berti, who had been

THF< LIFE AND WORKS Otf

her companion for some years in the same monastery. Hence, De-Berti,
being now a nun in the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli,
wished very much to have with her so dear a companion in the most
intimate and lasting manner, that is, she wished God would lead her to
become a nun in the same monastery. For this she was always praying
to God, and she also often importuned our Saint that she might for this
purpose interpose the power of her mediation with God. One day, our
Saint being in ecstasy, she asked her this question : u Mother, dost thou
think that Francesca de Sommai is to be a nun with us?" To which
Magdalen frankly replied : u Jesus showed her to me with our habit on."
Another time she answered a like interrogation as follows : " I doubt
not but that Francesca de Sommai will be a nun in this monastery : I
know it with certainty." Nothing was yet known about the girl's inten
tion. At the end of two years Francesca came out of the monastery of
St. Catherine, and, moved by devout curiosity, for some days entered into
that of Santa Maria degli Angeli. All her affection, though, was for the
former, where she had dwelt from the age of three years. Nevertheless,
inspired in an altogether singular manner, she selected the latter in
which to become a nun, and carried out her determination with great
solicitude.

3. To A MOTHER WHO OBSTINATELY REFUSED HER DAUGHTER
PERMISSION TO BECOME A NUN, SHE FORETELL DEATH, IN PUNISH
MENT OF THIS REFUSAL. — In 1594 a noble Florentine girl anxiously
wished to become a nun in the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli ;
but her mother was inflexibly opposed to it. To overcome this opposi
tion, the afflicted girl was having recourse to the prayers of our Saint,
who, knowing the obstinacy of the lady, said one day to her daughter
that her mother would shortly die and she herself would become a nun
in this monastery. Both of which things came to pass that same year.

4. THROUGH HER INTERCESSION A GENTLEWOMAN CONCEIVES A
DAUGHTER, AND OUR SAINT FORETELLS THAT IN CASE THE GIRL

BE NOT CONSECRATED TO GOD IN RELIGION, BOTH MOTHER AND

DAUGHTER WILL HAVE TO ENDURE GREAT TRIALS IN THE WORLD ;
AND IT so HAPPENED. — About that time a lady of Florence, much
noted for her title and state, was grieving because God had granted her
no children. In order to be consoled, she had recourse with confidence
to the prayers of our Magdalen ; and she was not disappointed. Not
many days elapsed before she felt that her ardent wish was about to be
gratified. The knowledge oi this fact having been imparted to Magda
len, she said: "Tell the lady that she will give birth to a girl ; but to
remember that she will be a child of prayer and therefore must be dedi
cated to God in the sacred Religion ; or else great will be the sorrows of
both mother and daughter." The birth took place according to the pre
diction, and the sorrows came also afterwards. The mother, forgetful of
the warning of the Saint, or too mindful of worldly honor, when her
daughter reached a suitable age, married her to a rich marquis, who,
haying shortly afterward been found guilty of rebellion against his
prince, lost his head by the executioner's axe. His property was confis
cated, leaving his widow in sad desolation and with the indelible mark of
infamy on herself and relatives.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 125

5. SHE FORETELLS OTHER CHASTISEMENTS TO A GlRL IN CASE
SHE DID NOT FOLLOW HER RELIGIOUS VOCATION, AND TO HER MOTHER
IN CASE SHE WOULD OPPOSE HER ; AND THE PREDICTION CAME TRUE. —

Another girl, a noble Florentine, felt called by God to the religious
state ; and in fact, in order to try it for a while, she entered, for some
days, the monastery of St. Maria degli Angeli ; but, allured by human
interests and considerations, could not bring herself to a final decision,
because her mother was unwilling to give her consent to it. The
Saint failed not to do her best, in order that the girl would correspond
with fidelity to the divine call ; but, seeing her still irresolute, she told
her frankly that God had chosen her to be a nun in that monastery, and
that if she refused to become one she would have to suffer many adver
sities in the world, and if her mother would dissuade her from becoming
a nun she, too, would be severely punished. But neither one nor the other
paid any attention to Magdalen's words, which, having been inspired by
God, were not uttered in vain, as great family woes befell the daughter
after she was married, and the mother was visited by a cancer of such
intensity and malignity that in a short time it carried her to the grave
amidst the most excruciating pains.

6. SHE FORETELLS THE RECOVERY OF A NUN WHO WAS SERIOUSLY
ILL, AND OTHER PARTICULAR EVENTS. — Sister Maria Vincenza Dati, a
noble Florentine girl, who had been six years a nun in the monastery of
St. Maria degli Angeli, and had always been in ill health, in 1592 was
attacked by such a violent fever that the physicians thought a pulmo
nary ailment would soon ensue. She suffered this fever for eighteen
months, and her health was wholly despaired of. This nun, knowing her
dangerous condition, placed her confidence, which is never totally extin
guished in the heart of the living, in the efficacy of prayer, recommend
ing herself particularly to the great charity of our St. Mary Magdalen.
The Saint felt compassion for her, and said to her one morning after Holy
Communion: "Sister, have faith, as Jesus wishes to restore thee to thy
health. " She then prayed before a Crucifix, made the sign of the cross
on the sick sister, and added : uThou shalt recover little by little, so that
it will seem as if thou didst recover naturally ; as for this purpose I
prayed to Jesus. Moreover, I tell thee that thou shalt live many years
in Religion in good health, and wilt be able to obey all orders and labor
in all offices like the others." This prediction was verified completely,
as in the course of three months the patient had entirely recovered her
health in a very natural way, and lived a long time afterwards, working
with invariable activity at all things which the rule and obedience im
posed on her.

7. WHAT SHE ASSERTS TO MARIA DE-MEDICI, QUEEN OF FRANCE,
COMES TO PASS. SOME REFLECTIONS ARE PREMISED IN REGARD TO
THIS. — After the example given by Christ to His disciples in washing
their feet, and the exhortations made to them to imitate Him — the
disciples, thinking of the sorrow they should feel for His ignominious
and painful death, which was approaching and had been by Him
openly announced to them; and detesting the treason which they
knew one of them was to commit, and on account of which all were
dismayed and full of grief; in fine, after having listened for three

126 THE LIFE AND WORKvS OF

years to His exalted teachings, — forgetful in a moment of all and
little understanding them, they began to contend among themselves
regarding the pre-eminence and the honors of the kingdom prom
ised by the Divine Saviour. They were so ambitious that each of them
not only burned with the desire to occupy an honorable place in that
kingdom, but wished to be exalted above his brethren ; and thus they
were battling among themselves with regard to their greatness or
preference. So strong is the pride which the first father transmitted
to his children that it could not be kept quiet, even in the hearts of men
on whom the most efficacious graces of divine perfection had been imme
diately bestowed. This most hateful sentiment has caused, in every age
and country, the devastation of the most sacred rights of humanity.
Well did Italy experience this, and more particularly Florence, whose
very buildings, according to Sismondi, give a special idea of the indi
vidual strength and cupidity of citizens who wish to be great, and of the
haughtiness of the great ones who will not associate with them. The
fifteenth century witnessed the ill-omened conspiracy of the Pazzi against
the house of Medici, which furnished the most evident proof of the
difficulty of establishing an Italian government, one and national.
Everywhere in Italy the factions of those times were rotating like a wind
mill — now for one, and now for another rival, according to the expression
of the famous emir and marabout, Abd-el-Kader, — but were always
crushing down new victims. Thus it happened that, the sovereign
power being seized by extraordinary and preponderant forces, every one
had to keep pent up within his breast the noble thought of fatherland-
reputed by those in power to be criminal — and the unhappy Peninsula
was seen —

.... girded, but not with her sword ;
Fighting, but with the arm of foreign people ;
Ever doomed to servitude, whether victorious or vanquished. — FIUCAJA.

Thus works human ambition, the archenemy of brotherly love.
But, as the Divine Master permitted that His disciples would profit so
little in virtue, that afterwards, being ashamed of their nothingness, they
would become rooted in humility and thereby worthy of the Divine
assistance, with which they were finally so copiously favored, so He
wanted to teach all that ambition, thirst for power, and rivalries originate
purely from man's wickedness, from which nothing better can be
expected, and, vice versa, that the forgiveness of injuries, individual
charity for our neighbor, and veneration of innocence are the outcome
of virtue, which, in order to be ingenuous and pure, can have no other
beginning than God. That such was the virtue of St. Mary Magdalen
De-Pazzi, it is superfluous to repeat. I will rather say that we may
believe the virtue of Princess Maria, daughter of Francis, Grand Duke
of Tuscany, to have been true also, as it seems that, the aristocratic
aversions being still alive, she laid down at the foot of the cross every
low rancor, every perturbing recollection, and rendered what was due
respectively to the individual, to crime, and to innocence. She several
times manifested her affection and regard for the De-Pazzi family,
and in a special manner for St. Mary Magdalen, towards whom she
conducted herself in an extremely devout and affectionate manner.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

At different times she went in person to visit her at her monastery.
The most remarkable thing happened in 1600, when, having been
solemnly married to Henry IV, king of France, before leaving Italy
she wished to have a confidential and private conference with our
Saint. The queen recommended to the prayers of St. Mary Mag
dalen principally three things : the first, a most important one
and worthy of the nobility and piety of her spirit, was, that the tem
poral kingdom would not be to her the cause of losing the eternal,
adding that if she had any doubt of it she would rather have chosen to
live poor, and to beg from door to door, than to accept the position of
queen. She asked St. Mary Magdalen to pray to God that the high
dignity to which Providence had raised her would not make her forget
her nothingness — to the detriment of her soul, and the offense of Divine
Goodness. Oh ! if the princes and the powerful ones of the world would
think thus, the submission of others would be more spontaneous and
loyal, and they would not for the slightest cause feel the necessity of
using brutally coercive force ! The second recommendation was, that
her husband might love her ; the third, that she might have male issue.
The holy mother promised her to pray to God for these just petitions,
and asked her, in return, these three graces: That she herself would
interpose with the king in order that he would reestablish the Jesuits in
his kingdom, telling her that it would redound to the very great advan
tage of France and the great glory of God ; the second, that she should
try to extirpate heresies, and bring the kingdom to the condition in
which it was in St. Louis' time ; the third one, that she would be a lover
of the poor. And the Saint told her that, if she did these three things,
God would surely satisfy her wishes, particularly the one in regard to
male issue. She also told the nuns several times during this first year
of the marriage of Maria De-Medici, that this queen would give birth to
several male children, as she was praying to God for this with the
greatest fervor, in order that the kingdom would not fall into the hands
of heretics. It happened afterwards that the queen had several sons, the
first of whom was Louis XIII, for whom she was regent for several
years, when he succeeded in 1611 his unhappy father — whose precious
days were cut off by the wicked Francis Ravillac, which event filled entire
France with inconsolable sorrow — he having been regarded as a good
husband, a good father, and a good ruler. Even from the year 1604 the
Jesuits had been recalled to France, and this by a declaration of par
liament, on condition that one of them would remain at court to give
an account of the doings of the Society. This condition, almost an
ignominious one, became for them a marked honor, as they succeeded
in being appointed the king's confessors. The queen-mother, after the
celebrated Cardinal Richelieu through her mediation was promoted to
be the Prime Minister of State, and after having done her best for the
welfare of the kingdom, being somewhat displeased about some political
affairs, retired to Brussels, and ended her days at Cologne in 1642, leav
ing behind good reason to hope that she had passed to the permanent
enjoyment of that peace which is the fruit of virtue alone, and which is
expected in vain from human greatness and glory. Her wise son and
good king Louis XIII did not long survive her ; and was succeeded in the

I28 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

kingdom by his son Louis XIV, who, at his birth, was regarded by the
French as a gift Heaven had granted in response to their desires ; hence,
they named him Adeodato (God-given). The glory of his government
and his immortal deeds secured for him afterwards the surname of Great.

8. A PREVISION, MANIFESTED TO SEVERAL PERSONS, IN RE
GARD To THE TIME OF THEIR DEATH. — In 1590 there was living
in the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli, in perfect health, Sister
Maria Grazia Gondi, as teacher of novices. One day, our Saint seeing
in spirit that this nun in a short time was to fall sick and die, approach
ing the mistress of novices, told her: "Mother Mistress, your teacher
will die in a few days." The mistress was both shocked and grieved at
this news, and, awaiting the confirmation of it, saw the prediction
verified in less than fifteen days, by a terrible and sudden sickness, which
rapidly carried away Sister Maria Grazia.

At the death of a fellow-sister of this monastery in 1594, the Saint,
whilst offering prayers for the repose of her soul, was rapt in ecstasy,
and saw her in the glory of heaven. Remaining for some time in con
templation, she finally uttered, as if in amazement, these wordls : u Oh !
the pillars of the monastery shake ! " And turning to the mother,
Sister Kvangelista, who was present, added : u Thy column shall
remain." Coming out of the ecstasy, and being asked the meaning of
these expressions, she answered that the Lord had shown her that in
a short time four mothers of the council of that monastery were to die :
who having all been prioresses, had supported, like pillars, the good
government of the community with their wisdom and experience ; and
that she, Sister Hvangelista, who had also been prioress, would survive
them many years. In the course of a few months death truly overtook
the former ones, and the latter survived them for the long space of nearly
thirty years.

A young lady of the notable Florentine house of the Gianfigliazzi,
having become a nun in the monastery, * under the name of Sister
Maria Caterina, when the time for her profession arrived, although in
very good health, she was told by the Saint that she would not live long
after her profession ; and this was verified at the end of six months.
Three days after the death of Sister Maria Caterina, whilst our Saint
was praying for her soul, she saw her in ecstasy coming out of purga
tory and going joyously into heaven. She understood during the same
ecstasy that Sister Maria Innocenzia Dati, who also was a young novice,
of florid and robust appearance, would very soon die. Three months
afterwards this novice was no longer among the living. Another young
sister of the same monastery, Sister Maria Benedetta Vettori, being
sick, but not seriously so, our Saint foresaw that she would die of that
illness, and made it known to a sister of hers, a nun also in the same
monastery, in these words : " What wouldst tliou say if thy sister
would die ? This thought cannot but sadden thee ; but it is necessary
to conform to God's will." Within the month Sister Maria Benedetta's
days were ended. Mary Magdalen foretold, to another nun of her mon
astery, that she would die without the sacraments. This sister was
seized with great fear and sadness, as she knew how reliable were Sister
Mary Magdalen's predictions, and. she went immediately to the superioress

She frees a woman from the devil (page 97 ).
128

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI. 139

with the sad news ; but the latter told her to keep herself prepared
and well disposed. It so happened that, before a long time had elapsed,
one of the veins in her breast broke, and she was so quickly suffocated by
the rush of blood that it was impossible to administer the sacraments
to her.

When the Saint was in her last illness, Sister Maria Maddalena
Berti, already mentioned, begged her that, if the Lord would call her to
Himself, she would come three days afterwards to take her also out of
this world, as she did not think it possible to survive her longer, on
account of the great affection she bore her. Sister Alessandra del
Beccuto, the infirmary nun — young, healthy, and strong — hearing these
words, and almost making fun of them, said to the Saint: "Mother,
please gratify her; take her along with thee into paradise." At these
words, the Saint, smiling, turned to Sister Berti, and told her : " I shall
not come for thee ; but I shall certainly come for Sister Alessandra."
About a year after this prophecy the holy mother died, and two months
and a half after her death Sister Alessandra also died.

During the last days of the life of St. Mary Magdalen, a nun of her
monastery, Sister Maria Vittoria Ridolfi, a promising young sister, was
sick. Being warmly recommended by the superioress to the prayers of
the Saint, that she might regain her health, the Saint replied with this
strong assertion : " It is the will of God that she should die, and this will
happen a few days after my death." The death of the Saint followed
shortly, and that of Sister Maria Vittoria six days afterwards. At that
same time, two sick men being recommended to the prayers of the Saint
(one of them was Signer Filippo del Caccia) she said : " The Signor
Filippo will die, but the other will get well." And it so happened.

9. PARTICULAR MANIFESTATION AS TO WHICH OK THE NOVICES
WOULD BE PRESENT AT HER DEATH, AND PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE
TIME OF THE SAME. — Magdalen being the mistress of novices for the
first time, that is seven years before her death, spoke to them one day
in such a manner that she named those among them who would be
present at her death. Those who did not hear their names conjectured
that they were to die before she did ; hence Sister Elizabeth Rabatti, one
whose name had been passed over in silence, to remove all doubts, said
to her: u Mother mistress, assist me at my death." To which she re
plied : " I shall be living at the time of thy death, but unable to assist
thee." It so happened that all the novices whose names had not been
pronounced died before Mary Magdalen did ; and Sister Elizabeth died
precisely at the time when our Saint was so overcome by her own sick
ness that she could not render her any assistance. When the physicians,
after having given up all hope of recovery, judged that but a few days of
life were left to St. Mary Magdalen, they requested the prioress to have
Extreme Unction administered to her, she, hearing this news and the
opinion of the doctors, said : " Be assured, mother prioress, that I shall
not die so soon, as my time has not yet come." She survived a year
longer than had been thought possible by the erroneous judgment of
man's science. On the 25th of April, 1607, Sister Orsola died in the
same monastery, and as soon as she breathed her last, some nuns went to
tell i£ to the Saint, who was sick in bed, and to them she said : " To-day

130 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

a month I will die too." One of them remarking that the Ascension
would fall, that year on the 24th of May, and thinking that the Saint
was to die on that day, added : "I would not like that thou shouldst die
on the feast of the Ascension." To which our seer replied in a tone of
certainty : "The day of the Ascension I will be here." And her happy
death, in fact, took place on the 25th of the following May, one day after
said solemnity.

10. KNOWLEDGE OF FUTURE THINGS CONCERNING THE MONAS
TERY. — On the 23d of March, 1584, whilst this chosen soul was alien
ated from her senses after sacramental Communion, there appeared
before her mind a beautiful garden with many trees, some larger and
some smaller. A skillful and diligent gardener tilled it with the greatest
profit, when, behold ! on the third day she saw a squalid and gloomy
person, scythe in hand, coming from afar, and striking this good
guardian on the legs in such a way that he fell to the ground, seemingly
unable to rise. During the period of uncertainty as to whether the
gardener would recover or not from his fall, another gardener was pro
posed, who, on account of his apparent good qualities and the protec
tions with which he seemed to be covered, was commonly regarded as
very suitable ; but some of them having penetrated his spirit and
seen and made known something unfavorable, so much opposition was
raised to him, especially by twelve of the larger trees, that he was not
accepted, nor could he enter the garden. Then another one was pro
posed, who, though good in himself, yet was not suitable for the cultiva
tion of such a garden ; hence this one was also rejected. In order to
get rid of these two, especially the first one, much energy had to be
used. The wise gardener having now recovered from his fall, returned
to his former occupation, to the ever-increasing advantage of the garden.
The person with the scythe repeated at other times the attacks on him,
and finally succeeded in striking him so severely that he did not again
recover. Then the greater part of the trees fell, and all of them were
shaken, with the exception of the twelve above alluded to, which were
so well rooted and fixed that not only did they not shake in the least,
but through their influence became of such assistance to the others that
in a short time all of them arose who had fallen to the ground. The
meaning of the vision was this : The garden represented the monastery;
the twelve trees meant twelve Religious who were the most perfect ; the
gardener was the father confessor, Rev. Agostino Cam pi, and the three
days signified that he was yet to live three years, at the end of which time
he would be struck by so serious an illness as to make one doubt of his
recovery; but that, through the mercy of God, recovering, he would
yet live some time to the spiritual advantage of the monastery, though
from time to time his life might be in danger. It so happened that, in
the midst of frequent dangers, he lived four years longer, that is, until
the 5th of June, 1591. During his last illness the Saint, with the
warmest fervor, begged the Divine Clemency that he might be spared
to her till the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. After
many prayers, she heard interiorly from the Lord, that though he would
not be alive on the day of said solemnity, yet he would live as long as
would be necessary for the peace and good direction of the monasterv.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 131

So it happened ; as, having received Extreme Unction on the second day
of Pentecost, and whilst his loss was commonly regarded as imminent
and irreparable, there was danger that he would be replaced by one of
those above mentioned, with serious harm to the monastery on account
of their relative incapacity. But God, who does not speak in vain to the
hearts of his beloved ones, made Campi recover from his illness, and
improve so far as to be able to hear the confessions of the nuns on
the feast of Corpus Christi, and also give them Holy Communion.
In the meantime, the monastery was altogether freed from the above-
mentioned danger, thus verifying all the Lord had foretold this blessed
mother. The vision continued in the following manner: There were
rooted in the garden three hearts; but there was only one into which
God infused and distilled an agreeable and sweet dew, which thoroughly
fertilized it. These three hearts, she understood, belonged to three
priests, two of whom loved the monastery spiritually, and had much
confidence in Campi ; and the third one had been the extraordinary con
fessor of it, by order of the Most Eminent Archbishop. The dew which
she saw being infused into this heart was the grace of God, with which he
was to nourish and well direct the souls entrusted to him ; because of which
the holy mother was well pleased, rejoicing in the Divine Providence
that with so much art and love had predisposed the spirit of this priest
for the benefit of the nuns. During this vision she saw also the soul of
Rev. Agostino Campi being raised up to celestial glory, and bearing as a
special ornament a red stole, the reward due to a martyr. She understood
that such a distinctive mark had been given him for three reasons: first,
for the infirmities he had virtuously borne ; secondly, for the persecution
which he encountered, and which he endured with much constancy and
patience; thirdly, for the burning desire which he felt, during life, to
submit in reality to the pains of martyrdom. That soul afterwards
appeared to her as if addressing to his successor, Rev. Francesco Ben-
venuti, these words: "I labored much to cultivate that vineyard and
garden; now it is thy turn." And, turning to the Most Holy Trinity,
he paid homage and begged that an abundance of grace would be
given to Benvenuti, in order that he also might continue in that
spiritual cultivation. Here it seemed as if Campi had eviscerated him
self in behalf of his successor, and poured into him all the virtues which
he had practiced during life in order to bring to perfection all the souls
entrusted to him. The facts well prove that Benvenuti was moved by
an instantaneous and irresistible impulse to conform himself, as far as
possible, to the sentiments and practices of his predecessor, especially in
regard to the frequenting of the sacraments, although many other inter
ests often called him elsewhere. At another time the Saint saw our
Ivord, who, from among many priests, was selecting two for the
monastery ; one of whom He was taking out of the wilderness,
and the other from among the people, and both of whom He was
holding by the hair. The second was given to the monastery
before the first one ; and this was verified in the person of Ben
venuti, who was chosen confessor and director, although he was
very much bound to society by many occupations. She saw the other
one resting in a place where he was doing much good ; but he was kept

132 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

there until the time when he would be given to the monastery. This
happened in the person of Rev. Vincenzo Puccini, a man who was
leading an hermitical life, and who succeeded Benvenuti after the latter's
death. She also understood how these two fathers were to feed the
souls of the nuns, and govern the monastery according to the spirit of
the Society of Jesus ; and so both of them did.

She saw, moreover, a most beautiful garden, in the midst of which
was planted a noble and resplendent tree laden with divers fruits, some
small, some large ; some sour, some neither sour nor altogether ripe ;
some very beautiful and well seasoned, distilling their sweetness into
others, but this was hindered by some cobwebs which enveloped the
tree. By the garden-gate someone was coming in with a mattock and
a cross on his shoulder, and a game-pouch with many little pockets full
of various seeds, which he would sow in the garden with great care and
love. She understood the garden to be her monastery. The tree
planted in the midst of it, bearing a variety of fruits, signified the differ
ent profits of every nun ; for some, like little fruits, were wanting in
those virtues which are required by religious perfection ; others, like
sour fruits, would not let the regular discipline make them perfect ; and
finally, others, by the continuous exercise of the real and true virtues,
and the union with God, were like very beautiful fruits, seasoned and
savory, distilling the sweetness of their words and actions into their
companions, though some imperfections then existing in the com
munity prevented this distillation from reaching its proper end. She
understood that he who was entering with mattock and cross on his
shoulder was^ Benvenuti, who again, with the weight of the government
of the monastery and the souls in it, was going to cultivate this garden,
sowing therein his doctrine, his counsel and advice, both for the general
good of the community and the individual need of every one. She
also understood how those cobwebs, — that is, those imperfections-
caused great displeasure to this gardener ; and that, unless they were
brushed away, as the Saint afterwards declared to the mother prioress,
she feared they might prevent the realization of the ardent and anxious
desire of perfection which this father entertained, and that his diligent
concern might remain fruitless through the fault of others.

The said garden presented two circuits of buildings : one very
spacious, but not high ; the other narrow, but very high. The first was
the one spiritually built by Father Campi — large and spacious, he having
been many years in the government of the monastery ; but not high, as
he had to do much in laying the foundations, that is, introducing many
things of essential religious obligation ; so that he was prevented from
attending as fully as he would have wished to the sublimity of the interior
perfection, especially among the generality of the nuns. The other circuit
was that which Rev. Francesco Benvenuti was to build — not large, for he
was not, as the Saint foresaw, to live many years in the spiritual direction
of the monastery ; but of a height far superior to that of the first one,
as he would lead the souls, already well prepared, to a much more
elevated perfection ; and in the meantime, gathering to himself all that
the other had formerly built, he would introduce the souls into a gen
eral storehouse, and inebriate them with the wine of cheerfulness, which

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 133

is the divine love ; and then he would lead each one into a particular
storehouse. He would lead them into the first by the perfect observ
ance of the three vows, through the influence of his zeal ; and into the
second, by means of the great assistance he would lend to each one that
she might correspond with fidelity to her own vocation. Here appeared
to the Saint a mountain so high that its summit could not be discerned
by the human eye ; this was the mountain of perfection, towards which
the same father was directing them ; and, as they walked towards it, she
noticed some moving with great swiftness and without any impediment,
others more slowly and interruptedly, others were made to fall by the
wind of their passions, and others were drawn back by the weight of
their garments, viz., their vicious habits ; and those who fell were taken
by the same father into his arms, and, with great love, replaced and led
up in the direction of the mountain by means of his spiritual help.
The Lord gave her to understand how our adversaries, the demons,
could not harm said Benvenuti, as he was always accompanied by
St. Francis the Seraphic and St. Catherine of Siena, who, on account
of the special devotion he had towards them, defended him in a manner
wholly insuperable, one with the cross, and the other with the precious
blood of Jesus and the crown of thorns.

In the same year, 1591, as Easter was approaching, she saw at
another time, in spirit, the garden of her Religion, which, through the
care of the gardener, was very prosperous, its trees and fruits being beau
tiful and exquisite ; but one had to take care not to lower the branches
to the ground lest they should be gnawed by the grubs ; though even
for that the gardener had a remedy, as by the burning fire of charity and
zeal for the salvation of souls, he killed and exterminated those larvae.
" If I," said she in an ecstasy, " had to paint the gardener of this place,
I would not represent him in the habit he wears, but in the garb of the
prophets ; he who saw them knows how it is ; and, as his wishes rest
in a firm place, I would give him Nazaritic locks, and put in his right
hand a globe, and, instead of those two little points, I would fix there
the knowledge of himself and of God ; and, instead of the little shovel,
which is in the middle, I would put a Crucifix ; and instead of the
signs which indicate all the movements of the sun around the globe,
I would place all the potential virtues, viz., charity, obedience, humility,
patience, knowledge of God and one's self, as this is what I am philoso
phizing about. In his left hand I would put a book full of the various
flowers and sweet fruits of the texts and authorities of the Sacred Scrip
tures, together with the Epistles of St. Paul, in which so many times is
mentioned the mellifluous name of Jesus, which he wishes to have im
pressed in his heart and in the heart of all creatures. I am not afraid
of being deceived in judging the inmost desire of this gardener's heart,
as I am sure he has no other end in view but the salvation of souls."

Some days afterwards, being rapt in spirit, she saw the demons
who had plotted together to attack and destroy this garden ; and, as the
loving God had increased His gifts therein, and the spiritual means of
loving and serving Him, so they redoubled the hatred and the tempta
tions upon the Religious, to prevent, above all, the profit which Benvenuti
would have brought to them. Hence, she saw more distinctly than at

134 THS LIFE AND WORKS OF

any other time, as we have said, the monastery filled with devils in every
place except the chapter, which they could not enter on account
of the acts of humiliation practiced there. They employed all their
malignity to harm the sisters. In the room set apart to receive Holy
Communion and hear the word of God they interposed many obstruc
tions, that is, they tried to cloud their intellects and to fill their hearts
with vain thoughts, so that they might not know the great union which
is made with God in that act, and, instead of appreciating the immense
grace and the ineffable efficacy of His word, they would go there thought
lessly and as if from habit. The devils also tempted them, by means of
various artifices, to abstain from the Eucharistic Food ; and, when any
of the sisters would succumb, the demons would make a great feast and
swear at them. In the work-hall, besides insinuating negligence and
torpor to the detriment of religious poverty, they would incite them to
useless discourses, and sometimes even to such discourses as were inju
rious to the charity of their neighbors. While in the refectory, she saw
a demon at the door, who, as the sisters came in, gave them some
vials to smell, and many demons incited them to a dislike for mortifica
tion, tempting them not to pay any attention to the reading, or else to
murmur inwardly about the quality of the food and to desire more
delicacies. But the strongest and most pressing temptation in all
places and at all hours tended to distraction, and consequently to the
abuse of speech, resulting in a breach of the most sacred duty binding a
person living in a religious community. The victorious demons then
seemed to play ball with the vanquished heart.

On another day, she saw that, as Benvenuti was nearing the entrance
of the monastery to hear confessions or to preach, a demon gave to
many of his companions the sign to enter also. The office of some of
them was to represent his words and the perfection he was teaching as
something nearly impossible to practice ; others would see that his words
were heard as if by chance, without considering them or applying
them to one's self; others would see that all the confessor said should be
received with contempt. But, at the end, she saw that, if many and
many more were the demons in every place tempting and trying to dis
tract the nuns from the road to perfection, greater by far was the num
ber of the angels whom the most compassionate God was sending to
their help, so that, fighting with undaunted constancy, they might
triumph. This victory generally was achieved to the great benefit of
those souls, both through the example and the prayers of our Saint,
and through the zeal and solicitude of the virtuous Benvenuti.

Together with the favor of seeing the state of souls in the future life
and things absent and to be, God granted her the gift of clearly penetrating
hidden thoughts and secrets of the heart, which gift, on account of the
many instances that happened, especially to the novices and the young
ladies entrusted to her care in the monastery, was so well known and certain
that these and even the professed nuns would examine their consciences
before going into her presence ; and whilst before her, they would take
the greatest care not to admit a thought for which they might have to
blush. They could not, without trouble of mind, endure her presence
when their conscience reproached them for even the most hidden fault.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PA2ZI. 135

Many and wonderful were the instances proving the existence of such a
privilege during the time she filled the various offices in Religion, as we
shall see in the progress of this Life, limiting ourselves here to relate the
following : —

i. To A GENTLEWOMAN, BEFORE GIVING HER A HEARING, SHE

MANIFESTS IN DlVERS CASES WHAT WAS SECRETLY FELT BY HER.—

Elizabeth Migliorini, a Modenese gentlewoman of exemplary life, and who
greatly loved, esteemed, and cherished the sanctity of our Magdalen, at the
examination of witnesses for her beatification deposed as follows : A duel
had taken place in Florence between persons who enjoyed the confidence
of this gentlewoman and were dear to her. One of these persons was
fatally wounded, and before he expired Elizabeth anxiously went to the
Saint that she might obtain for the unhappy wretch time for repentance,
and that, if it pleased God, the deed might remain unknown to the
justice of this world. The Saint was called, and as soon as she appeared
at the parlor grates was rapt in an ecstasy, during which, seeing in spirit
what had occurred and the gentlewoman's object in coming to her,
without hearing a word, suddenly spoke as follows : u Elizabeth, fear not,
as the Blessed Virgin has covered this sin with her man-tie, and the blood
of Jesus Christ has washed and forgiven it. Tell them (those between
whom the quarrel had occurred) to remain in faith, charity, and humility,
as everything is settled." Elizabeth was pleased at hearing this and
had the satisfaction of seeing it in fact, as far as could morally be
wished for. The wounded man, touched by real repentance, gave the
kiss of peace to his adversary ; and, having received the sacraments and
other consolations of the Church, died in perfect tranquillity. The duel
remained so secret that no legal knowledge of it reached the magistrate,
and the parties became reconciled and voluntarily extinguished every
spark of discord.

At another time a very ugly thing, which used to happen at a devout
gathering of pious persons, was related in confidence to this same
gentlewoman for her advice. The perpetrators were unknown. Eliza
beth was not slow in going to the Saint, who, being called to the parlor
and there becoming alienated from her senses, before she heard anything,
began to exclaim, with a sad countenance and in a troubled voice,
that she was seeing enormous filths and horrid things, smelling the
intolerable stench of sin, that God would reveal all, and that she
also (Elizabeth) would see the delinquent, and afterwards all would be
remedied. The noble Elizabeth, being greatly amazed, gave thanks
to God, who so profitably communicated her secrets to St. Mary Mag
dalen, and became more and more confirmed in her opinion of the
sanctity of this venerable mother. Shortly after, the guilty party became
known, and a complete cure of the disorder was easily effected.

The Pope, not as Vicar of Christ, but as a man armed with a sword,1
was debating some issues with the Duke of Ferrara. Elizabeth
wished to see the end of the disputes, which were inevitably scandalous
and harmful to society, and for this object she vowed to visit the
miraculous Madonna di Reggio, in Lombardy. Taking counsel from

1 Temporal ruler.— The Translator*

136 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

the Saint at the parlor grates about the fulfillment of this vow, she saw
her in ecstasy, and heard her saying to herself: "On thy return take
care, as the devil wishes to harm thee ; " and she added, that she should
bring back the image of Saint Hyacinthe, to whom she was devoted, and
also some relics. Elizabeth followed the holy counsel, and, having visited
this Madonna, on recrossing the Alps of Bologna experienced the work
of the devil. The horse she was riding, having broken the bridle
through some unknown cause, began to run so wildly that every means
to check him became of no avail, and the unhappy rider was thrown from
the saddle and fell backward, but in such a manner as to remain with a
foot entangled in the stirrup. Thus she was dragged by the horse for
many yards over the uneven and stony ground, so that those who
accompanied her expected to find her, if not dead, certainly badly
bruised. But she did not feel hurt in the least ; for which, giving
profuse thanks to God, she acknowledged that the means of her protec
tion were the sanctity and counsel of Sister Mary Magdalen.

This lady having resolved, for economic reasons, to settle perma
nently in Modena, before quitting Florence went to the Saint to bid her
good-bye. Having acquainted her with her intention of leaving
Florence, Magdalen gave her this answer, as short as it was determined :
"Thou shalt go and return." Elizabeth bowed her head like one
resigned to a possibility, but without seeing any reason for its realiza
tion. She left for Modena, but, after a year's absence, was recalled
to Florence, by order of the most serene Grand Duchess of Tuscany, to
wait on Lady Irensea Pica Salviati, sister of the Duke of Mirandola, who
was troubled with sore eyes. Elizabeth therefore having returned,
found that the afflicted Lady Irensea had lost one eye entirely and the
other was so blackened and bruised that she could see nothing, and
there was no hope of improvement. In the midst of so great an
affliction, having consulted together, both the patient and her assistant
remembered the efficacy of our Saint's prayers. Elizabeth went to her,
and, filled with sentiments of wonder and veneration because of what she
had foretold her a year before, related to the Saint what was then passing,
and very warmly recommended to her the sad case. Magdalen answered
thus: " Tell Lady Irensea to recommend herself to St. Francis and to
visit the image of the most holy Annunziata. Both of you dress in
gray for a year, out of devotion to St. Francis, and the Lord will give
her back the sight of both eyes as formerly." On the morrow both
of them began to follow the advice of the Saint with respectful
confidence ; and on the same day Lady Irenaea began to improve. The
improvement continuing day after day, in a short time her eyesight was
restored and she enjoyed her former good health, protesting herself
eternally obliged to the mother, Sister Mary Magdalen.

2. SHE SEES AND MAKES KNOWN THE THOUGHTS THAT A GlRL

WAS HIDING WITH REGARD To HER VOCATION. — A very marvelous
thing of this kind was that which happened to a daughter of Dr. Car-
lini, of Florence — Leonora, by name. In November of 1591 this young
lady entered the monastery of St. Maria degli Angeli with apparent
curiosity, intending to remain there for a certain time, if pleased with it.
It is true, she wished to become -a nun, and that was the real motive for

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI. 137

her entering ; but she neither said it then nor had she ever yet manifested
to anyone this tendency. In the meantime, it happened that, on the very
first evening after entering, whilst in the company of Sister Mary Magda
len and several other nnns, the Saint was rapt in ecstasy, and in that state
began to speak, saying that she had seen the guardian angel of Leonora,
holding in his hands a ladder, the top of which reached heaven, but
he kept it in suspense, as if not knowing where to rest it; and, as she
was thus looking at this angel, she saw at his side St. Francis, St.
Dominic, and St. Angelo the Carmelite, conferring and almost disputing
among themselves as to the spot whereon the angel was to lean the lad
der, each one of them wishing him to lean it upon his own Religious
Order. The Saint, admiring so amiable and pleasant a dispute, and feel
ing inclined to see the victory on the side of St. Angelo, as the patron
of her own Order, heard that the Lord Jesus Christ commanded the
guardian angel of Leonora to rest the ladder on the monastery of St.
Maria degli Angeli in Florence ; therefore, turning to the maid, she
frankly spoke to her: " Thy guardian angel has rested the ladder on this
monastery ; it is the will of God that thou become a nun here, and thou
wilt overcome all the difficulties thou wilt encounter." Leonora, con
fronted with so precise a declaration of God's will, and finding her
thoughts so marvelously unraveled, fixed on this monastery and nowhere
else the vague idea of becoming a nun. After a ten-days' retreat in the
same, she returned to the paternal residence, where for the first time she
ingenuously made known her new resolution. This was so much opposed
by her father and brothers that, on an evening of the following January,
she thought of relenting and going without delay to her father to attest
her submission to him and to place herself entirely in his hands. But at
the moment of passing out of her room with such a thought, she felt
herself pushed back by an invisible force. This happened again the
second and third time that she made the attempt ; so that, acknowledg
ing this as a supernatural opposition, she was more and more confirmed
in her intention of becoming a nun, despite all human hindrances. On
this same evening, and at the same hour, which was one hour after dark,
the mother, Sister Mary Magdalen, alienated from her senses, pronounced
these words: "That dove wants to fly; keep her, O Lord;" and three
times she repeated : " Keep her, O Lord." Having returned to her senses,
and being questioned by the usual superioresses, she related that she
had seen this young lady, under the form of a dove, about to leave her
vocation; but that God had so assisted her that this would not happen.
On the following day the nuns sent for the girl, in order to find out what
had happened to her the evening previous. When she reached the par
lor, she told what has been related above, and the nuns in turn informed
her of the contemporaneous vision of Sister Mary Magdalen. Leonora
was most grateful to God for this coincidence and the mediation of the
Saint, and she corresponded so faithfully to the divine call, that by
means of virtuous acts she succeeded in obtaining the permission of
her father and brothers, and in a short time she became a Carmelite
nun in the monastery of St. Maria degli Angeli.

3. SHE ENJOYS A DISTINCT VISION AT THE TlME THAT A GlRL
RECEIVES THE RELIGIOUS HABIT. — Whilst Mass was being sung for the

138 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

taking of the religious habit by a girl, the venerable Magdalen, being
rapt in ecstasy, saw the Lord granting this girl many gifts and graces.
At every Kyrie eleison a choir of angels descended. At the epistle God
confirmed all the graces to the Religious which had been communicated
to them in the beginning, and even increased them. At the gospel the
Lord gave many rich ornaments to her who was about to receive the
sacred habit ; afterwards she saw a cherub with a book in his hands,
who, whilst the novice was singing "/ am the handmaid of the Lord^
wrote in it these same words and those which she uttered at the end of
the ceremony. This, she understood, was done by the angels with all
the Religious, in order to show to them, on the day of judgment, to their
greater joy or confusion, all that was implied in an act so solemn and
important. No sooner had this girl taken the habit, than another angel
of the choir of the seraphim appeared, holding in his hands the Life
Record of the Religious. This angel reading, related to the Saint all
the good this girl had done till that hour, her wish to enter in Religion
and become the bride of Jesus, and all her good thoughts, wishes, and
affections ; then he wrote down the good works and the profit she was to
make in the religious life. Finally, in capital letters, he marked the
book with the name taken by the novice in this new baptism. Magda
len, having been for a while silent, with a full understanding of the
interior dispositions of the soul of this young lady, recommended to
God all the Religious, and sinners, and then caine out of the ecstasy.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

139

CHAPTER XXIII.

OF THE GREAT PURITY OF HEART AND DELICACY OF CONSCIENCE
OF ST. MARY MAGDALEN.

]PTER relating the wonderful favors which God granted this
holy soul, it is befitting to show with what candor and
purity her heart was enriched. It is only reasonable to
believe that God does not so intimately communicate Him
self except to lilies of immaculate purity and real sanctity.
During her whole life Magdalen gave evident proofs of the
candor and innocence of her habits and affections. One
day she was speaking to a sister of the pleasure and delight
with which she used to embrace and hold to her bosom the little chil
dren of her tenantry, whom she had instructed in the Christian doctrine,
when, while yet a girl, she had visited the villa. The sister, as if jesting,
or out of curiosity to hear what answer the Saint would give her, said
to her: "Mother, it may have been a fault to have taken so much delight
in so doing. " At which the good mother, overcome by a holy fear of
having offended God therein, asked the sister to tell her frankly of what
fault she deemed her guilty. The sister replied: "It depends on the
intention thou hadst in it." And then Magdalen, with as much humility
as frankness, answered: ''For no other reason did I delight in those
little children than because they represented to me Jesus at that age, and
also because of the purity and innocence which is found in them."

So great was the simplicity, the candor, the humility, the meekness,
the sincerity, and the frankness of her words and of her works, and
especially the humble and pure faith Magdalen always had, that of a truth
a child could not have had more. These dispositions, instead of diminish
ing, rather increased and became perfect in her as she advanced in years ;
so that, in her old age and in the maturity of her excellent virtues, her life
was an exemplification of the blessed childhood promised of old to the
Church of Christ by Isaias the prophet, and commended by our Divine
Saviour even to the oldest of His followers ; and without which, He
asserts, no one can have a place in His heavenly kingdom. Magdalen
never had a strong earthly affection, nor hatred, nor rancor, nor love of
worldly goods. She always believed everyone, as a child does, even without
understanding, and she never contradicted anybody. Her conversation,
moved by simplicity coupled with prudence, could not but render her

140 THE UFFy AND WORKS OF

more amiable and estimable every day. Her actions were never over
shadowed by a secondary or worldly end. Sometimes she was heard to
say: "If I thought that I might become a shining seraph by speaking
a single word with any other purpose than the love of God, even though
He would not be offended by it, I would not utter it." What a sublime
sentiment of purity ! And if it occasionally happened that in some of her
actions she doubted the purity of the end, she interrupted the work, leav
ing it unfinished until she became certain of having directed it also to the
glory of God, as she intended and wished to do absolutely. She was so
well used to this rectitude of intention that she could not understand how
any gesture, motion, or even raising of the eyes of those souls who con
secrate themselves to God, was not exclusively directed towards exalted and
divine purity. She loved no creature except in its relation to God. Those
who knew her and conversed with her gave solemn testimony of it; and
she herself, in her last years, whilst familiarly conversing with the sis
ters, said that, though she had borne much affection to creatures, yet she
had loved them only because of the precept of charity given by Jesus
Christ, and in order to imitate His example of unbounded charity; but
that, with the exception of this love, she never had the least attachment
to any creature. During her last illness she also said, with a great sense
of gratitude to God, that she did not recollect that her heart ever had
taken any pleasure or delight, even for the shortest space of time, except
in God ; and she added, when near the end of her life, that she found
nothing in herself that gave her more peace and comfort than this. From
which we may not only conjecture, but argue with certainty, that this
holy soul preserved till death the white robe of baptismal innocence;
nay, to give her words their just meaning, it seems that it could also be
said that her purity was more angelic than human — as to the angels
alone is given by nature what to her was granted by grace, viz. , never
to take any delight but in God. This, in a human creature endowed
with senses, is so wonderful that to our understanding, with some
reason, it appears incredible; but it was not so to those who lived with
her and saw in fact the continuous absorption of her mind in God. It
was in consequence of such great purity of heart that she perceived the
least stain and spot of imperfection in her soul, and kept the strictest
account of it; hence, she humbled and accused herself of things in
which the other sisters could see no shadow of imperfection; and they
remained struck with amazement and confusion at seeing that, amidst
the sublime acts of perfection which she constantly practiced, she would
find things of which to accuse herself, and to punish herself for. She
sometimes even judged her virtuous actions to be faults — not through
that sentiment of scrupulosity which proceeds from pride, as is wont to
be found in those persons who follow piety more from ostentation and
self-love than to please God — but in consequence of her great purity and
humility combined, because of which her heart, placed like a highly
polished mirror before the rays of the Divine Sun, regarded itself as
dimmed by even the least earthly breath.

On the evening of the 6th of April of the year 1592, having placed
herself on her knees in the most humble attitude, in order to examine
her conscience about the actions of that day, she was rapt in an

By licking the arm of a nun, she heals her of a contagious sore

(page 98).

140

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 141

ecstasy, in which, having first recited the psalms, " Domine, quid
multiplicati sunt" — "Why, O Lord, are they multiplied," etc. (Ps. iii);
and "g/« habitat," etc.— " He that dwelleth » (Ps. xc), she thus
spoke to her Jesus: "O my Jesus, what was the first thought
I had on this day? I grieve because it was not of Thee, as I
was afraid lest it would be late to call Thy brides to praise Thee ;
nor did I think of offering myself to Thee or honoring Thee.
Then, O my Jesus, I went to the choir to offer myself to Thee ;
but I did not wholly and in everything resign myself to Thy will. O
most benign God, what mercy can I expect from Thee, as I did not
place myself entirely in Thy hands? Have mercy on me, O Lord,
though I do not deserve it ; as I rather deserve a thousand hells. When
I went to recite Thy praises, I took more pains about those sisters I saw
wanting in something while performing this duty and making the
necessary inclinations than I did to honor Thee and offer to Thee my
praises in union with those of the blessed spirits. Well may I ask for
Thy mercy, O great God, as in what belongs to Thee, which is Thy
praise, I was guilty of so many imperfections. When I came to receive
Thy Body and Blood, which I should have done with all possible
affection, I grieve that I had no intention of doing it in memory of Thy
passion, as Thou commandedst ; and I did not think of uniting my soul
with Thee, either ; but I thought of how I could give rest to my heart.
It is true that I first heard the Divine Word, but I thought more of
whether we acted as Thou madest Thy Christ tell us, than about the
love Thou borest to me. Hence, O my Lord, I can ask nothing but
mercy of Thee. When I went to receive Thy blood in the sacrament
of penance, I thought more of what I had to say to Thy Christ in order
to quiet my heart, than of the benefit Thou wert conferring on me by
washing my soul in Thy blood ; and I did not trust in Thy love to give
me grace that would put my heart to rest. O my Lord, what were the
words I uttered? They were of censure (she says this, because being a
mistress of novices, she had accused herself of having reprehended a
novice) ; " and my way of speaking, which was not very meek and gentle,
caused -her who heard me to be disturbed ; and, what is worse, I failed
in charity, for when I saw that her heart was disturbed, I did not try to
quiet it, so that, but for this it would unite with Thee. Behold, O my
Lord, what I derive from so great a union and so much light which
Thou givest me ; if Thou wouldst give some of it to another creature,
she would be much more grateful to Thee ; whilst I, miserable and un
happy one, do not derive any fruit therefrom, as I fail in charity towards
Thy brides. Forgive me because of Thy passion. And then, when I
went to speak to that creature " (she meant an aunt of hers, to meet whom
she went to the parlor grates, and there was rapt in ecstasy), " I regret that
I committed an act of great hypocrisy, by causing myself to appear what
I am not ; and though I beckoned to Thy creatures, I did not merit to
be understood by them " (she alluded to the instruction she had given
to the sisters, viz., that when they would notice that she was about to
remain ecstatic at the grates, they should remove her, lest she might be
seen by outside persons, — and for this purpose she had given a sign) ;
"as I appeared to keep my soul united with Thee ; and yet Thou knowest

142 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

how many times my mind wandered away from Thee ; I appeared to be a
true Religious, and yet Thou knowest what I am. I ask mercy of Thee, O
my God, for this great hypocrisy, and I offer to Thee Thy blood which
Thou hast shed for me with so much love. If Thou, O my Lord, sendest
my soul to hell, as I deserve, Thou wilt justly place me below Judas,
because I have so much offended Thee. I then went to give the necessary
food to my body; but what intention had I of honoring Thee? as I did
not remember to offer up to Thee many and many poor people, who,
perhaps, had long been knocking at doors to find a morsel of bread,
which, perhaps, had not been given them ; whilst the monastery, without
any work on my part, and, what is worse, without any merit, furnishes
me, wretched and miserable, with what I need to sustain my body.
Not only did I offer this offense to Thee, but also the other one when I
made Thy bride say so many words ; and yet I knew it was not lawful to
speak in that place. Behold, O my Lord, that in all my doings I find
I have offended Thee. How then shall I be able to appear before Thee
to ask of Thee gifts and graces, and recommend Thy creatures to Thee,
since I have so greatly offended Thee that I do not deserve that Thou
shouldst show mercy to me ? But may the love which moved Thee to
come down to the earth and shed Thy blood, move Thee also to showr
mercy to my soul. Afterwards, when I did not go to praise Thee,
together with the rest of Thy brides, it was my fault alone ; for, when
that soul asked me not to go, I consented immediately not to go. O my
Jesus, had she requested me to stay for some charitable act, I would not
so soon have answered Yes. O my Lord, how can I hope to get to that
place where I shall have to praise Thee with the blessed spirits, having
failed to praise Thee in the company of Thy brides ? I offer to Thee
Thy blood, that through it Thou mayest be merciful to me. Also in that
action which I performed, what intention had I of honoring Thee, O my
Lord, since I regretted more the time taken away from me in giving
than having failed to offer my soul to Thee?" (she meant the time
during which the Lord kept her alienated from her senses). " It is true
I made a sign to Thy little virgins to keep silence, but I did not con
sider how much more obliged was I to keep my soul united to Thee.
And when I was about to invoke the Holy Ghost, my mind was so far
from Thee that I did not remember the manner in which I was to do it ;
so that those who had been less time in Religion had more prudence than
myself. See, O my Jesus, how in all my actions I have failed ; how then
can I appear before Thy Goodness, having so often offended Thee ? Again
I offer to Thee Thy blood, as through it only do I hope for pardon. Greatly
did I fail, O God, when I had to perform the other action, in not enduring
a little fatigue by moving faster. I failed, I say, in what I was obliged to
do, asking others to do me the charity ; in the meantime I failed to do
it to my soul. I took more care not to fatigue myself a little than I
did that Thou shouldst not withdraw from me. In all my actions I find
faults, O my God. But Thou, overlooking so many offenses, by Thy
Goodness alone again didst draw me to Thyself and gavest me therein so
much light, that, if Thou hadst given it to another soul, she certainly
would have drawn therefrom more fruit than myself, miserable creature
that I am. Again did I give comfort to my body by means of some food ;

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 143

and likewise I did not recollect so many of the poor who have nothing
wherewith to feed themselves, whilst for me, O my Lord, Thou hast so
amply provided. I offer to Thee, again, Thy blood for so many offenses
which I have offered to Thee. Alas ! my Lord, we are in darkness, and
I have not performed a single work without offending Thee. What
then shall I do ? O my God, I have offended Thee so much on this day ;
I will hot offer to Thee the final offense, which would be not to trust in
Thee and in Thy mercy. Well do I know, O Lord, that I do not
deserve forgiveness ; but the blood Thou hast shed for me will make me so
hope in Thee that Thou wilt have to forgive me." At this point of her
self-examination, being still in ecstasy, she withdrew to a remote cell,
where with merciless disciplining she tore her innocent flesh, in punish
ment of these light and almost unavoidable faults. Such examination,
besides furnishing an eminent proof of the more than hurnan purity of
her heart, should cause confusion not only to those souls that swim in
iniquity as in water and sleep tranquilly in the filth of every intemper
ance, but also to those who, whilst professing a devout and religious life,
regard venial sins as nothing, and but hastily examine their conscience.
Moreover, we have in her life another proof of how she regarded even
the slightest fault. This was, that, living continually in fear of offend
ing God, and fearful, therefore, in all works of offending Him, as she
was one day absorbed in this thought, she was overtaken by such an
excessive and devout affection that she fell to the ground before an image
of the Virgin, and there remained in ecstasy for the space of two hours,
during which time our Lord permitted her to see all the sins and faults
she had committed during her lifetime. At such a sight, though all
were of trifling account, she burst into a copious shower of tears, and
with a tremulous voice uttered these words : "Willingly would I go to
hell, could I but be sure that I never had offended Thee, O my God."
Having such a pure soul, the least stain appeared horrible to her, and,
on account of the love she bore to God, she considered as deserving of
hell the least offense offered to Him.

A strong proof of this great purity of heart was also the love she
always manifested for it, both in words and actions. The nuns remarked
that when Sister Mary Magdalen had occasion to go down to the parlor
grates, if little children were there, she rested her eyes on them, and
never was satiated with looking at them ; and she spoke to them
evidently with great pleasure, calling them blessed, because they had
never offended God, and wishing them to maintain themselves always
pure and innocent. On arriving among the sisters, if it should so hap
pen that they would be speaking of purity of soul, she would gladly
say : " In this place I shall be pleased to remain, because here they
speak of purity.'7 And she would then begin to speak of it with so
much fervor that she greatly inflamed the hearts of the sisters with the
desire to acquire and practice this virtue. In an ecstasy she had in rela
tion to the mystery of the Incarnation, she thus expressed herself:
" Purity is so great and incomparable a thing that a creature is not capa
ble of it, nor can she understand it." And, exclaiming, she added : " O
unutterable purity, how clean and pure one must be to receive Thee !
O Word, how dost Thou regard our affections and purposes before they

144 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

unite with that spirit of purity ! And those worldly and sensual people,
after all, with their filthy sensuality and malice, think of reaching this
divine and most pure spirit. They are in greater error than the devil
was when he wanted to make himself equal to God." At other
times she would say : " O purity, how many wonders thou dost reveal to
us in the other life, which are utterly hidden to creatures — not to those,
though, who seek for thee ! For in that life those persons who had seem
ingly been very exemplary in this world, shall be seen to be inferior to
many whom to simply name would make the others smile ; but because
'they were rich in this most precious treasure, and the others most want
ing in it, the I^ord will magnify the former, and lower the latter." She
also frequently said : 4 ' At purity- weight, O my sisters, God wants to
reward us in the next life." On reflecting in how little esteem this
virtue is held by the world, she was wont to say, with deep sorrow : " O
purity, O purity, little known and little desired ! O my Spouse, O my
Spouse ! now that Thou art in heaven in Thy humanity, sitting at the
right hand of the Eternal Father, ' cor mundum crca in me, Deus^—
1 Create a clean heart in me, O Lord' " (Ps. 1, 12). Sometimes whilst
with the sisters, she would say, sighing : " We fail to work with purity."
Being asked by a nun how one could acquire this virtue, she answered :
"If in everything thou wilt seek not to follow thy own will, choosing
rather to suffer than to enjoy thyself, thou wilt at the end find that thou
didst work with purity, because in truth our own interests have nothing
to do with it ; hence the road of suffering is safe and very dear to His
Divine Majesty." Finally she was so much in love with and thirsty for
this virtue, that she asserted that, as far as she was concerned, she would
be satisfied if she would remain in the lowest degree as to all other
virtues ; but as to purity of mind and body she aspired to the highest,
and to as much as a human creature may acquire. Hence she felt a
corresponding hatred and abhorrence for sin ; so that at the mere name of
mortal sin she shivered from head to foot, and, transported by the most
ardent zeal, at times she would loudly utter against it words express
ing abomination, sorrow, and horrible amazement. She apprehended
its gravity and enormity to such an extent that she could not conceive
it possible that a Christian could be found so wicked as to offend God
with deliberate intention. Fifteen days before her death she thus mani
fested her ideas on this point : " I leave this world with this one inability
— viz., to understand how a human creature can consent and determine
to commit mortal sin against her Creator." Hence, seeing the useless-
ness of her wish, viz., to be able to blot out every sin from the world,
she grieved exceedingly, and incessantly shed tears of the greatest
bitterness, both for the offenses which were offered to the Divine Good
ness and for the unhappy fate of those who committed them and never
thought of weeping for them.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

145

F<g>={t^;=<§>=S=^i=^>^t^^

CHAPTER XXIV.

OF HER SINGULAR GIFT OF PRAYER AND HER INTIMATE
UNION WITH GOD.

would be useless to remark the assiduity of Magdalen in the
exercise of prayer ; as, besides the hours allotted to it by the
rule, which she scrupulously kept, she was nearly always, by
an uninterrupted act, so united with God that her life might
be styled a continuous prayer, so strongly and with so much
delight did God occupy her heart and fill her with the desire
for Himself! The actual delight of her mind could be
noticed by her abstraction from the senses and the abandon
ment of the inferior parts by the spirit. In all her actions, either of
labor or recreation, she was with God ; and not only was she rapt in
most happy ecstasies whilst in prayer, penetrating then deeply into
the contemplation of the divine attributes, but also in every act and
thought of hers, and even in every action she saw others performing ; as
the attraction of the known beauty and goodness of God cannot be
intercepted or distracted from a soul that is taken up with it. There
was no place in the monastery in which she did not enjoy such a divine
favor; in the choir, in her cell, in the refectory, in the hall, in the vege
table-garden, and at all times, the Spirit of God attracted her to Himself
in sweet union — sometimes even in the act of her giving to her body
the necessary nourishment. We have already seen how several times
she was rapt in ecstasy at times and in places when her will would have
preferred to have been otherwise ; hence, on account of the frequency of
such ecstasies, in which she spent the greatest part of her life in Religion,
and on account of their evident superiority over her senses, it can be
asserted with strict regard for truth that not only had she her mind fixed
on God during the time of the ecstasy, but also outside of it, and in a
very intimate manner ; for, it being an inflexible rule of human logic
that it is impossible to reach from one to another extremity without
passing through the intermediate space, likewise one cannot from the*
distraction and vanity of certain thoughts suddenly reach an ecstatic
contemplation. It is necessary first to remove the distraction, and turn
the mind to the good thought, reflect on the same, and, by means of
intellectual reasoning, move the affection so that this may by degrees
come nearer to God, until such a depth of penetration be reached that
all the powers of the soul are carried along.

146 "THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

Now if St. Mary Magdalen was so easily rapt in God in every place,
at all times, and on every occasion she had of seeing, hearing, or speak
ing, not only can no one deny that her mind was free from all vain and
earthly thoughts, but it must be asserted that she was so united with God
as to be in a continuous and proximate disposition of ecstasy ; as, in
fact, every slight increase of spiritual affection used to carry her out of
her senses. Moreover, she herself related that the Lord several times
assured her that she would enjoy the same spiritual union with Him
in her normal state as when in ecstasy, with the single exception that in
the former there would be no visible effect. To this fact all her com
panions in the monastery bore testimony, for, remarking in amazement
her extraordinary mode of action, they used to notice her at her exterior
occupations with such an abstraction of spirit that she appeared to act
mechanically and as if her mind and heart never descended to percepti
ble things ; though, as we have repeatedly said, she was always ready
and accurate with her will to accomplish everything in the line of her
duties. Noticing that the nuns thought more of the sentiments she
expressed during the state of ecstasy than of those uttered while out of
it, she said to them : " Hold in the like esteem what I tell you out of the
ecstasies; for God gives me the same light and union. " Thus she ex
pressed herself, not out of vainglory, but because she was inspired by
the light of truth for the advantage of souls. In various ways did the
nuns notice the absorption of her mind in God. Being suddenly asked by
the mother prioress, and while she was a young novice by the teachers,
about her thoughts and interior operations, she, always most prompt
and instantaneous in her answer, manifested with sincerity and ingenu
ousness her interior movements. They always found her occupied about
God; sometimes offering to Him her actions for His glory, uniting them
to those which the Word Incarnate had performed on earth ; sometimes
thinking of the love God had shown to man ; sometimes enjoying
herself in the meditation of the divine perfections or the communica
tion which God makes of Himself and His attributes to creatures ; now
she offered up the blood of Jesus for the salvation of mankind, now she
busied herself with the desire to labor for souls or to suffer for the
glory of God ; and then, again, she would dwell on some mystery of
Christ's passion, or she would have other similar thoughts; but all
would be virtuous and supernatural.

That no exterior occupation was an obstacle to such heavenly com
munication, she confidentially made known one day to one of her novices.
" It is the same to me if I am told to go and pray in the choir or to
do any manual work, it makes no difference to me in the least ; nay, if
I told thee that sometimes I find God more in the latter than in the
former, I would think I told thee the truth."

In the refectory, at the community meals, she used to act as follows:
It was the custom of the monastery to interpose three short stops during
the reading at table. During these Magdalen performed some acts which
manifested her mind's devotion. At the first stop she kept her hands
joined ; at the second, she separated them and rested them on the table ;
at the third, she crossed them. The nuns being anxious to receive an
explanation of these movements, she, in virtue of obedience, declared

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 147

that at the first she adored Jesus to reverence the honor which His most
holy humanity paid to His Divinity before commencing to take the food
of His labors, viz. , to work for the salvation of souls ; and to reverence that
adoration which the Virgin Mary offered when she saw Him born in the
stable and placed in the manger ; hence she joined her hands in an act of
adoration. At the second stop she thought how pleased Jesus was, when
preaching, in giving to His own soul as food the redemption of our
souls, as this was His food ; hence she rested her hands on the table. At
the third stop she reflected how Jesus on the wood of the cross, having
accomplished the work of human salvation, was like one who, being
satiated, wishes for no other food ; He was satisfied with the food of our
souls and our salvation, and even if He had created new worlds and
made an infinite number of other wonderful works, in none would He
have been so pleased and delighted as in the human redemption accom
plished by Him; hence at this stop she kept her hands crossed. One
would never be done if he attempted to describe all the mystic thoughts
that were gathered from the works and words of Sister Mary Magdalen,
and which gave undoubted testimony of her constant union of mind
with God. SufHce it to say here, as a seal, that even while asleep she
was often heard to utter words of eternal life ; so much was she
habituated to think of heavenly things.

Though nothing needs be added now to judge with how much per
fection she fulfilled the precept of St. Paul : " Sine intermissione orate" —
"Pray without ceasing" (i Thess. v, 17). Yet some very excellent
particulars of this exercise are worthy of being mentioned ; among which
are the great esteem in which prayer was held by her, and her invariable
perseverance in it. Having adopted some devotions, she would con
tinue in them, though her exterior and vocal prayers were very few,
as she was chiefly occupied in interior and mental prayer; and, unless
prevented by obedience or some necessary occupation of charity, she
never let the time appointed by her for such exercise pass by without
it. She was wont to spend many hours of the day and night on her
knees ; which practice she always faithfully kept. Neither tediousness,
nor aridity, nor temptation could ever keep her from her usual
prayers. Her soul, unless prevented by the needs of this life and
the obligations of the community, would gladly have made but one
prayer of the entire course of her mortal pilgrimage, joining nights to
days, and these again to nights, as she not seldom did, especially during
the years of her novitiate. These prayers she engaged in with so much
affection and reverence towards God that, though not in ecstasy, she
always appeared immovable and deprived of bodily sensibility. Very
short was the rest she took; ordinarily it was not over five hours a night,
spending the remainder in prayer ; but often she did not even take these
hours, as she either spent them all in praying or only obtained some sleep
on a chair or when kneeling with her head resting against it. If in the
night, by an occupation of obedience or charity, some hours were taken
from her, rather than rest, she devoted the remaining hours to prayer ;
as she preferred that the body should suffer for want of necessaries
rather than that her soul should be deprived of its spiritual nourish
ment, Oh ! how many times her mistresses during the time of her novi-

148 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

tiate, and her novices and young girls when she was their mistress, think
ing she was taking her rest, heard her, sitting up and sometimes in
the chapel, weeping, sighing, and praying. If the conversion of sin
ners was recommended to her ; if important business concerning the
honor of God and the salvation of souls or the welfare of the Reli
gious was at stake ; if any novice was to profess or receive the habit in
the monastery ; or if any other circumstance required for herself or her
neighbor more than the ordinary Divine help, she deprived herself of all
rest, and spent the whole night in offering up prayers to God and
afflicting her soul in order to obtain opportune assistance from the
Divine Mercy. Many a time in her life Magdalen made the spiritual
exercises according to the golden rule left in writing by St. Ignatius
Loyola. With the permission of the superioress and her confessor, she
would during those days withdraw from all human intercourse, and
pass them entirely in profound contemplation. But what she always
held in greater esteem than every other devotion was the recital of the
divine office, and especially in the choir. She thought, and rightly too,
that no other exercise brought us nearer to the angels than this. Hence,
no sooner did she hear the sign for it, than she would rejoice and, leaving
unfinished whatever work at which she might be occupied, she ran to
the recitation of it with happy solicitude. Even while sick, she used to
make every effort to go to the choir ; and, as long as it was physically
possible for her, she never failed to attend the diurnal hours, and even
matin at night. When she actually felt herself nailed to her bed, she
there recited the office in company with some sister, making up for
not being in the choir with so much gravity and devotion that she
seemed to be an angel burning with divine fire. If sometimes, on
account of the various offices she filled in Religion, at the time of some
canonical hour she was necessarily detained out of the choir, there also
she wanted a companion to recite that part of the office omitted, giving
her reason therefor in these humble words : " I have little spirit, and in
saying the office with a companion I become a partaker in her fervor
and devotion." Those divine sentiments contained particularly in the
psalms, being by her understood and relished in the highest degree, often
transported her into ecstasy both at the common and at private recita
tion ; and always, of course, she was ablaze interiorly, showing it in the
vivid reddening of her face, and very often her heart was throbbing so
hard that it seemed as if she could not keep it within her breast. But
at the moment of the Gloria Patri even stranger effects would appear in
her person ; bowing the head, she would turn pale, tremble, and was
barely able to utter the words. One morning, the companion who was
reading matins privately with her noticed in her such an extraordinary
change at the above action, that seeing her heaving and unusually short
breathing, she could not but immediately stop and ask her the reason
for this manifest suffering, upon which the Saint made a motion sig
nifying to be patient ; and, the matins being ended, made this declara
tion. She said it was her devout custom, on pronouncing the Gloria
Patri, to make an offering of herself to martyrdom for the glory of
God ; and, being then more than usually recollected in it, it seemed to
her as if she were in effect offering her head to the executioner ; hence

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 149

nature, frightened by the dread of such, apprehension, had caused her
suffering. Therefore, in order to satisfy the obligation, she was com
pelled to moderate and slacken the intensity of her interior acts, that
they might not sink too deeply in the knowledge of things divine, caus
ing her to be alienated from her senses and thus preventing her fulfill
ing her daily duty. O singular gift! acquired, though, and possessed
through the habit formed from her very childhood of keeping her mind
fixed on God by means of assiduous and fervent prayer.

One year, on the feast of the Ascension of our L,ord, Magdalen,
being seated at the common table of the refectory, and fixing her
thoughts on how she should prepare for the solemnity of the Holy
Ghost, which she always longed for and celebrated with particular devo
tion, was drawn in spirit out of her senses, and in that state manifested
her affections and deliberations as follows : u O holy Apostles, when the
Lord ascended into heaven, He taught you what you were to do in order
to receive the Holy Spirit. Do you now teach me. O pure John, O
loving Philip, do not refuse me your assistance. Tell me what must be
my Cenacle, what my interior and exterior operations, and what the
elevations of mind during these few days. It will be well to construct
the Cenacle on high, that is, in the side of the Word, to dwell therein
in a union of love. Tell me what my food and spiritual beverage must
be. I wish it extremely pleasant and wholesome. The consideration
of the great and of the most humble operations performed by the Incarnate
Word while on earth will be my food, and the beverage will be the'blood
which comes out of those four sacred fountains of His adorable hands and
feet ; and sometimes I may go to that fountain which has so many rivulets —
that of His venerable head. O loving Word ! thirty-three years Thou
didst remain with us, and I must perform thirty-three acts of annihila
tion between the day and the night, and this will be one of the interior
operations. Eight days Thou didst wait to give us Thy blood after
Thy birth ; and I must examine my conscience eight times between the
day and the night ; as, unless the soul be well searched into and purified
of her faults, she is not apt to give her blood for Thee, viz., to offer her
self to Thee in the act of martyrdom ; and whenever I go through my
examination of conscience, I will add thereto the renewal of the religious
vows. Forty days Thou didst remain on earth after arising from the
dead ; and I must, between the day and the night raise my mind to Thee
forty times. Seven years Thou didst remain in Egypt ; and I must, be
tween the day and the night, recommend to Thee seven times those who
lie in the darkness of sin. Forty days Thou didst wait after Thy birth
before being offered in the temple ; and I must, between day and night,
offer myself to Thee forty times in readiness to Thy holy will. The
spiritual nourishment will be the daily meditation on Thy most holy
passion, accompanying it with the meditation on that ardent love with
which Thou becamest incarnate ; on that humility with which Thou
didst converse ; on that meekness with which Thou didst preach ; on that
cheerfulness with which Thou didst grant the prayer of the woman of
Canaan and the Samaritan ; the latter did not ask Thee, but Thou didst
invite her to ask. I will also meditate on these words : ' Hie est Filiiis
meus dilcctuS) in quo mihi bene complacui '-— * This is my beloved Son, in

150 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

whom I am well pleased' (Matt, iii, 17). . . . ^Cibus meus est ut facia tn
voluntatem Patris mei^ — 'My meat is to do the will of Him that sent
Me (my Father's)' (John, iv, 34). . . . ' Discite a me quia mitis sum ct
humilis corde" — " L,earn of Me, because I am meek and humble of
heart" (Matt, xi, 29). Twelve years Thou didst live on earth before
giving any sign of Thy wisdom ; twelve interior acts of love for
my neighbor must I perform, and ten of humility, likewise interior.
Oh ! how many opportunities for these interior acts offer themselves to
us, how many inducements for the intellect and the will ! Seven times
must I adore the Most Blessed Sacrament for those who fail to adore
Him ; seven times must I adore my Christ, who carries the cross with
His head bent for all the elect. Three times must I give particular praise
to the Blessed Virgin, as Mother and Protectress of all religious souls, that
she may cooperate particularly with her assistance in the keeping of
the three vows of Religion. As often as I shall be able, I must perform
acts of charity for my neighbor, with all possible love and cheerfulness of
soul. I will always remain in the act of guarding my senses ; and
in order not to be regarded as singular, I must do this at hours, at times,
and in proper ways ; for, if I should never take notice, some nun might
think that I am angry with her ; and if I should not answer questions,
I would give occasion for suspicion. Thrice a day I will remind
the sisters with whom I am conversing, of the dignity of the vocation
to which we are called, saying something in praise of it ; and of this
vocation I will remind myself continually. Whenever the opportunity
offers itself, I will console the afflicted, both interiorly and exteriorly ;
and, in conclusion, I must remain in a continuous act of charity, and
guard my heart." With these ideas and desires of interior and exterior
operations she came out of her ecstasy, and endeavored to do all very
punctually in order to prepare herself to receive the Holy Ghost. From
which we infer that the interior, positive acts of devotion and virtue
she performed during these ten days were one hundred and seventy-eight
each day, not counting other devout considerations of the love, humility,
and meekness of Jesus, the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, and
the unceasing watchfulness over her heart which she had previously
imposed on herself. Let the reader here reflect and consider what soul
clothed in mortal flesh could in a single day perform such and so many
interior acts of virtue, except one that had been raised to so divine a
union as would befit more an angelic than a human creature. The
soul of Magdalen communed with God so closely that nothing but
God could she see in every object, in every place, and at all times, and
she was simply led by God Himself.

We have already seen in Chapter XII the mode of life which had
been celestially prescribed for her. Now it is opportune to relate the
twenty Rules of life she received from the L,ord after that time, and after
wards, on account of her faithful correspondence, the spiritual exercises,
the offerings and protestations of every day ; which again very strongly
prove how intimately her soul was united to God. One morning as she
was absorbed in the love and gratitude of her Jesus in the sacrament just
received, she heard Him call her three times, as follows : " Come, O my
spouse, as I am He who extracted thee from My mind and placed thee

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZt. 15!

in the maternal womb, wherein I have been pleased in thee." At such
a sensible and distinct invitation, she immediately stood up, and, with a
countenance very much inflamed, she moved around to seek Jesus
through the monastery. Having gone a short distance towards the
lower corridor, she heard for the second time : ' ' Come, as I am He who
extracted thee from the maternal womb, and united Myself to thee,
being pleased in thee !" And, on her redoubling her zeal, she grew
impatient to find the wished-for Bridegroom. She ran through several
rooms in a manner both uncertain and rapid ; and, when about entering
the chapter, she heard for the third time : " Come, my chosen one ; I
wish to give thee a Rule and put an end to thy passions for all thy life
time, until I lead thee to see and enjoy Me in the land of the living."
Here Magdalen remained motionless, and, receiving the Rules, she thus
expressed them, speaking in the person of the Word : "I, Spouse of thy
soul and Word of my Eternal Father, give thee a rule in the same act
of love in which I made thee partaker of my purity. Beloved of thy
Beloved, note My and thy rule ; Mine, because I give it to thee ; thine,
because thou must keep it.

" i. First, I require of thee that in all thy interior and exterior ac
tions thou look always to that purity which I made thee understand ;
and imagine that all thy works and words are to be the last.

" 2. Try, according to thy ability and the grace which I will give
thee, to have as many eyes as I will grant thee souls.

" 3. Thou shalt never give counsel, nor order, though it be in your
power, except after having submitted it to Me, hanging on the cross.

"4. Thou shalt never note any fault of mortal creature, nor repri-l
maud it, except after having first acknowledged that thou art inferior to J
that creature.

" 5. L,et thy words be sincere, truthful, grave, and far from anyaduj)
lation, and thou wilt always point to Me as the model of the works that
creatures must perform.

" 6. With thy equal let not thy amiability surpass thy gravity, nor
thy gravity exceed thy meekness and humility.

"7. I/et all thy actions be performed with so much meekness, and
in so humble a manner, that they may appear like a magnet to draw
creatures to Me ; and with so much prudence, that they may be a rule
to my members, that is, to the Religious souls, and to thy neighbors.

" 8. Be thou day and night thirsty (as the deer is after water) to)
practice always charity with My members, holding the weakness andV
weariness of thy body in as much consideration as the dust which is/
trodden upon.

" 9. Thou shalt exert thyself, in proportion to the ability I will give
thee, to be food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothing to the
naked, a haven to the imprisoned, and relief to the afflicted.

" 10. With those whom I leave in the ocean of this world, thou
shalt be as prudent as the serpent ; and with my chosen ones, as simple
as a dove ; fearing the former as the face of a dragon, and loving the
latter as the temple of the Holy Ghost.

" ii. Hold sway over thy passions, asking the grace therefor of Me,
who am the Ruler of all creatures.

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

" 12. Be condescending with My creatures, as I, while on earth, used
with them sovereign charity, always mindful of these words of My
Apostle: 'Quis infirmatnr, et ego non infirmorf — ( Who is weak, and
I am- not weak?' (2 Cor. xi, 29).

" 13. Thou shalt not deprive anybody of anything that thou mayest
be permitted to give away, on being asked for it ; and thou shalt not
deprive any creature of anything that may be granted to her, unless
thou hast first borne in mind that I am the scrutinize! of thy heart, and
that I will have to judge thee in power and majesty.

" 14. Thou shalt esteem thy Rule and the constitutions of the same,
together with thy vows, as much as I want thee to esteem Myself, trying
also to imprint on the heart of every one of thy sisters the zeal of the
vocation to which I called them and of thy Religion.

" 15. Thou shalt have a great desire to be subject to all, and a
7 horror of being preferred to anyone, even the least one.

" 1 6. Thou shalt not consider thy relief, rest, and delight to consist
in anything but in contempt and humility.

" 17. On this day thou shalt cease letting creatures know thy desires
and My commands, except those I have entrusted thee to and My christ?

" 1 8. Thou shalt be a permanent oblation of all thy desires and
operations, together with My elect, in Me.

" 19. From the hour when I departed from My holy Mother, viz.,
from the twenty-second hour2 until the time thou art to receive Me, thou
shalt make a continuous offering of My passion, of thyself, and of My
creatures to My Eternal Father; and this will be thy preparation to
receive Me sacramentally ; and between the day and the night thou shalt
visit My Body and Blood thirty-three times. U_

" 20. The last thing will be, that in all the operations which I will
permit thee, both interior and exterior ones, thou wilt be transformed
in Me."

After this she remained for a while in silence ; then, still ecstatic,
she continued in the person of the Word : —

" This is the Rule which the Beloved of thy soul in an act of love
has given thee. Therefore, thou shalt take it, and thou shalt keep in
thy heart the things contained therein, and shalt put them all in prac
tice, except when charity and obedience may deprive thee of visiting My
Body and Blood.''

Having said this, she came to herself from her ecstasy. How faith
ful she was in keeping these rules, the course of her life bears infallible
testimony. Her zeal to comply with the greatest exactness with the
instructions of her Divine Master, suggested this practice to her. She
devoted one entire day of every month to the most searching examination
of her conscience to see how she had kept these rules; and, for the least
fault of which she might deem herself guilty (which never failed to be
the case, on account of her most profound humility), with an iron disci
pline she would unmercifully scourge herself for a whole hour. Besides
the exercises corresponding to this divine direction, not a few were the

1 The confessor.— Note of the Translator.

3 Old Italian method of computation, again lately revived. — Note of the Translator.

The time of her probation being over, she is decked with a crown,
a necklace, etc. (page 102).

152

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 153

acts, the offerings, and the protests of piety which she practiced daily of
her own spontaneous and particular inclination. Remarkable above all
was her exercise every morning, which, the better to execute, she wrote
with her own hand as follows : —

* ' First, thou shalt say three times : ^Benedicta sit Sancta TrinitasJ
etc. — ' Blessed be the Holy Trinity ; ' then thou shalt examine thy con
science, offering the Blood of the Word. After this thou shalt adore the
Most Holy Trinity, first adoring the Eternal Father, acknowledging
Him as God, offering thyself to Him in this acknowledgment as being
ready to give thy life and thy blood. Likewise, then adoring the Eter
nal Word and the Divine Spirit, thou shalt do the same ; praying each
of the three Divine Persons that They may be pleased to accomplish in
thee Their divine will. Afterwards, thou shalt adore the Beloved Word,
confessing Him true God and true man, offering to give thy life
and blood for this confession and truth. Thou shalt also adore the
unity of the Most Holy Trinity with an act of reverence, making the
same offering of thyself. Then thou shalt renew thy profession with
the greatest possible purity and simplicity of affection, promising to
observe perfectly the rule and constitution. This done, thou shalt con
secrate thyself to the Most Holy Trinity, making a perfect oblation
and holocaust of thyself, committing all thy intentions, thoughts, words,
and works, interior and exterior, to the purity of God, praying to Him
that He may fulfill in thee that divine and loving will of His for which
He created thee and called thee to the perfect state of Religion.

" Afterwards thou shalt reflect within thyself, knowing that thou
art nothing, and then, elevating all thy mind to God, thou shalt rejoice
in His infinite perfections and in the thought that He alone is inscrut
able and cannot be understood or comprehended by any creature, taking
delight in this — that all creatures in heaven and on earth, and all that
exist, give Him glory, praise, and magnify Him ; thou shalt rejoice at His
infinity, which is such that all creatures, though doing what they can, yet
do nothing in comparison to His greatness ; thou shalt rejoice as much
as possible that He is God, as He is, and, knowing Him to be the
Sovereign Good, infinitely lovable for His own sake, thou shalt wish to
love Him with the perfection wherewith the blessed love Him, and all
creatures and the blessed together have loved Him, do love, and shall
love Him for eternity ; and with all the divine perfection with which He
loves Himself, has loved, and will love Himself forever. Thou shalt
thank His Divine Majesty, that, loving Himself, God pays the debt we
owe to Him.

" Again, humbly adoring the Most Holy Trinity, thou shalt offer to
Him, first, all His divine perfections ; then the perfection, fullness of
grace, and merits of the Incarnate Word, that of the Virgin Mary and of
all the blessed, and also of all the elect; wishing thou wert able to suffer
and do all that has been suffered and done, and for eternity will be
suffered and done, by all creatures for her honor and glory. Thou
shalt also wish all thy lifetime, particularly on this day, to be able to
exalt, praise, magnify, and honor her as the blessed and all creatures
exalt, praise, magnify, and honor her, and as much as God Himself does,
in an act of love.

154 THK UFE AND WORKS OF

" Again making thy adoration to the Most Holy Trinity with the
intensest possible love, thou shalt thank His Divine Majesty for the good
that God possesses, rejoicing and delighting in it ; and thus thou shalt
thank Him for the glory conferred on the humanity of the Word, on the
person of Mary, and for that which the blessed have received and all the
elect shall receive. Thou shalt also thank Him for the benefits, graces,
and communications which He has granted thee and will grant thee
throughout eternity. Then thou shalt thank Him for having created
thee to His image and likeness, redeemed with the blood of His Only-
begotten, espoused and consecrated thee to Himself, and for giving Him
self to thee every day ; and for all the graces and communications He
has granted thee, always crediting them to Him ; rejoicing not at seeing
thyself enriched with such graces and gifts, but because by means of
these benefits thou shalt have greater strength to serve and honor Him ;
offering the Incarnate Word and His blood in thanksgiving to the
Eternal Father for so many mercies.

" Here thou shalt enkindle in thyself the fervor of spirit and con
ceive the desire to unite thyself with thy most loving God, whom
thou hast known and knowest to be so great and immense ; and know
ing and believing by living faith that He through His infinite power
and liberality can and wants to unite Himself with the creature, thou
shalt be humble within thyself, knowing thy vileness ; then thou wilt
turn to the Eternal Father, and pray to Him that He may give thee His
Divine Word ; and when He shall have given Him to thee, thou wilt
shut thyself in His heart, and there thou shalt relax thyself in Him, in
union with that relaxation which the Word made of His soul on the
cross, viz., when He expired. Being united with the Word, thou
shalt resign thy will into the hands of the Eternal Father, saying : ^ Fiat
voluntas tua'1 — 'Thy will be done;' in union with the resignation of
the Word in the garden. After this thou shalt pray to Him to grant
thee and fix in thee His eternal will, offering thyself to Him as a
daughter. Then thou shalt ask the Word to grant thee love, offering
thyself to Him for a bride ; and thou shalt ask humility of the Divine
Spirit, offering thyself to Him as a disciple.

uThis done, thou shalt offer to the Eternal Father the Word, with
all His divine perfections, soul and body, thoughts, words, and works,
together with the little bundle of myrrh of His passion and His precious
blood, and thyself with Him. This thou must do as if thou wert mak
ing said offering in the Divine temple of the Heart of said Word, in
union with the offerings He made whilst staying with us on earth.
Thou shalt make that offering for all the Church triumphant, militant,
and suffering, wishing to do so with the greatest feeling of love with
which it may ever have been or may ever be offered by all creatures.
As the Eternal Father takes great delight in this offering, thou shalt rest
in this delight, and therein thou shalt take the cross together with the
Word, with the determination of following Him until death. Then
thou shalt make to thy God, Spouse, and Teacher the following promises:

" i. I promise to choose the deepest humility. L-

" 2. To adore and confess the unity of the Most Holy Trinity for
those who refuse to do so.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 155

" 3. To exalt poverty always and in all things.

"4. To be the favorite of the afflicted and troubled. ^ —

" 5. To build all interior and exterior actions in the wounds of
Jesus.

" 6. To be the atonement for the imperfections which are committed
in the dwelling of Mary (viz., in her monastery).

u 7. To keep far from the things of the world and from thyself, as
the heavens are far from the earth.

^ " 8. To enjoy contempt and humiliation, as God rejoices in Himself.

" 9. To rejoice in being of God, and in poverty of spirit, and to
suffer anything rather than prevent thy neighbor from enjoying God.

" 10 To condole with God for the offenses offered to His Divine
Majesty.

" Having terminated this exercise with thy God, thou shalt go
to the Blessed Virgin, to venerate her, in the manner which is due to her.
Then thou shalt pray to her, that she may obtain for thee that thou may
be, with her, Mother, Daughter, and Spouse of the great God ; mother,
by means of the conformity and uniformity of thy will with that of
God ; daughter, by pure and right love ; spouse, by fidelity and the
keeping of the promises made to Him. After this, thou shalt offer to
her all her dwelling, praying to her to keep it and guard it with that
love with which she guarded the Incarnate Word and her own purity
and virginity. And, finally, thou shalt make her this protestation,
saying: I protest to thee, O most pure Mother, and my most amiable
Mother, rather to be in hell than not always to have zeal for the
observance, and the perfection of myself and all thy dwelling — that is
all thy daughters who are now in it and will be in future. And thou
shalt say three times the 'Angelical Salutation' in the place in which it
shall please thee. Then thou shalt offer thyself to thy guardian angel,
praying to him to keep thee always, and thou shalt promise to him
to correspond to the interior inspirations and divine illuminations. To
all thy patron Saints, and to all the celestial Jerusalem, thou shalt
promise that thou wilt honor and revere their feasts and relics, and, above
all, thou wilt imitate them in their true and holy virtues."

Analyzing this exercise, we find contained therein seven adorations,
ten offerings, eleven petitions, six acts of love of God, five acts of
spiritual desire, the same number of acts of thanksgiving, thirteen
promises ; and the acts of humiliation, promises, renewal of profession,
and resignation in God are five in all : which, added to the first, make
altogether seventy-two interior acts towards God which our Saint practiced
every morning, with singular attention of spirit, before the sign of rising
was given to the community.

156 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XXV.

GREAT EFFICACY OF HER PRAYERS, AND SOME WONDERFUL THINGS

WROUGHT THROUGH THEM. RESIGNATION OF HER

WILL TO GOD'S WILL.

j

JS we may infer from the foregoing with how much reason
Magdalen De-Pazzi might have said, with the Apostle : "/
live, yet not I; but Christ lives in me;" so also appears of what
great value her voice might be before her Divine Spouse.
The prayers of this soul were so efficacious and acceptable
in the sight of God, that it is not exaggeration to say that no
grace she asked was ever refused; which assertion, besides
numberless other facts, is also founded on this one, that, in
an ecstasy of many hours' duration, she said, in the person of the Eternal
Father: " Sponsa unigeniti Verbi mei, quidquid vis a me pete" —
" Spouse of my only-begotten Word, ask of me what thou wilt." We
have already seen that, at the very time of her desolation, God, through
her intercession wrought various prodigies. Here it would be proper
to relate all the others that were wrought through her agency during
her lifetime ; but as miracles are the offspring of prayer and of sanctity,
we will now relate some of those which belong to the first class, keeping
the second for a more advanced stage of the L,ife, and then leaving it
chiefly to the attention of the reader to remark the lesser graces which
are spoken of in passing, and leaving also to his conjecture the
numerous other graces not reported, as they are well-nigh innumerable.
For, though she did her best to hide from the world and live entirely
unknown and forgotten by creatures, yet persons afflicted and troubled
always had recourse to her, some by word of mouth, some by writing,
some by means of a third party — for instance, the nuns — and all recom
mended to her both their spiritual and temporal needs. Many after
wards returned to present to her their most lively and heartfelt thanks,
declaring that through the prayers of our Saint they had been consoled
in their afflictions.

i. FOR A NUN OF HER MONASTERY SHE OBTAINS THE MIRACU
LOUS CURE OF ONE OF HER EYES. — In the year 1592, Sister Cherubina
Rabatti was suffering most acute pains from a tumor in one eye,
called lachrymose ; and as, in spite of all the remedies used, there was
no sign of healing, the doctors resolved to burn it. The patient being
most afflicted, was recommending herself to the prayers of Sister Mary
Magdalen, who, feeling the tenderest compassion for the suffering of her
sister, began with all fervor to ask Divine assistance in her behalf.
Especially on the evening preceding the day appointed by the physicians

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 157

for the operation, between the fifth and the sixth hours of the
night, she prayed in a more direct and animated manner for the
health of the sick sister. In the meantime, Sister Cherubina, overcome
by a greater intensity of pain, was supplicating the Blessed Virgin
to grant her patience ; when, lo ! be it a vision or in sleep, she saw
before her the mother, Sister Mary Magdalen, who with a countenance
extremely majestic and beautiful, and her eyes raised to heaven, was
offering to God fervent prayers. While gazing upon this consoling
object, she felt her face pressed suddenly and the eye which was sore
opened by force, it having been entirely shut for many days. At this
action she felt such pain that she fainted ; and on recovering, a quarter
of an hour afterwards, she found her eye wonderfully cured and free
from pain. Early on the morrow, Magdalen went to pay her a visit,
and on finding her cured and cheerful, she congratulated her, but without
showing any surprise. The first thing Sister Cherubina asked her was,
whether she had been to see her during the night previous ; and on the
Saint's answering No, but that she had prayed for her at a certain hour,
the cured sister revealed what had appeared to her in a vision, and, thank
ful to her mediatrix, returned also due thanks to God for the recovery
He had granted her, the effect of which was so complete and lasting
that never more in her life had she to surfer from sore eyes.

2. SHE OBTAINS FROM JESUS FOR THE SAME NUN TO RECEIVE

COMMUNION MIRACULOUSLY DURING A SICKNESS. — On another occasion,
the same Sister Cherubina, being sick, was complaining to Sister Mary
Magdalen that, having to keep her bed, she was prevented from approach
ing Holy Communion with the rest, as she very ardently desired to do.
The Saint, being always efficaciously compassionate for the just wishes
of her neighbors, withdrew to pray to Jesus that He might be pleased
to console the sorrowing sister ; returning to her, as if certain of the
prodigy which was to take place, she told her to be on the alert for the
next day at the hour when the nuns were wont to go to Communion,
and not to doubt but that Jesus would console her. The devout sister
bad faith in the words of the Saint, so that she prepared her soul as if
to receive the Eucharistic Bread at that hour. Now it happened that
whilst the priest was giving Communion to the nuns in order of religious
seniority, when it would have been Sister Cherubina's turn, the Host
disappeared from his hand ; and, fearing it might have fallen, he looked
and made others look diligently for it, but in vain. Sister Vangelista del
Giocondo went shortly after to visit Sister Cherubina, and related to her
this inexplicable occurrence, when she heard from her that Jesus had sent
her that Host through the prayers of Sister Mary Magdalen, to whom
she had recommended herself; and how in that Communion she had felt
a joy and a comfort the like of which she had never felt in her life.
Hence both of them, with tears of tenderness, gave thanks to God, who
in His omnipotence thus manifested the preference of His love for a
human creature. Anyone who wishes to doubt the possibility of this
fact might as well try to put a limit to the creative power ; which
would be impossible to do, except by giving up good sense. It remains,
therefore, that nothing can contradict the existence of the same, as it
was testified to in the process by several persons.

158 THE UFE AND WORKS OK

3. SHE DELIVERS ANOTHER NUN OK HER MONASTERY FROM
CALCULUS. — Sister Catherine Ginori, after suffering for three years
from calculus, was reduced to such a state that the physicians wholly
despaired of her life, and the nuns by turn were watching at her
bedside every night. Sister Mary Magdalen was there one night, and
the patient was more than usually troubled by her pains, so she recom
mended herself to our Saint that she might obtain for her from God
some relief or greater patience. Sister Mary Magdalen began to pray
for the afflicted sister, who suddenly went to sleep; and, on waking
up shortly afterwards, found herself without the least pain, and so free
from the disease that she survived many years in perfect health, keeping
all the rules and orders of Religion.

4. THROUGH HER PRAYERS, THE COMMUNITY BEING IN WANT,
IS PROVIDED WITH DINNER. — The monastery was so poor that but for
the assistance of some benefactors it could not have been kept up. One
morning in Lent there was nothing in the house for the sisters but a few
herrings — insufficient for their actual needs. Sister Mary Magdalen being
in the kitchen, called the lay-sister under-cook to herself and thus said
to her : " Let us pray to the guardian angel of Lapo del Tovaglia (a
noble Florentine and a benefactor of the monastery) that he may inspire
him to send us as many herrings as may suffice for the whole com
munity. " A prayer being offered up by both together, behold ! an hour
later, in spite of a very heavy rain, a messenger of the said Signer Lapo
appeared at the monastery gates with a basket of herrings sufficient for
the dinner of that day; and all the nuns returned their heartfelt thanks
to God for such a providence.

5. SHE OBTAINS FROM GOD, THROUGH HER PRAYER, THAT THE

WINE OF ONE BARREL, WHICH HAD SPOILED IN THE CELLAR OF THE
MONASTERY, BECOMES GOOD AGAIN. — In 1602, the wine contained
in a large barrel for the use of the monastery was spoiled; and, on
account of poverty, could not be replaced. The mother prioress, Sister
Vangelista del Giocondo, recollecting how in 1588 the prayers of Sister
Mary Magdalen remedied a similar defect, now commanded her again to
pray to God that this wine might become good once more. The humble
maid did not wish to pray alone, but begged the prioress herself to join
in this action ; hence both, going down to the cellar, prayed for a while
together, after which the prioress ordered Magdalen to make the sign of
the cross on the keg. This the Saint having done by obedience, and a
little wine having then been drawn out, it was found to have regained its
former good taste.

But the principal practice of the union with God which gave such
efficacy to the prayers of Mary Magdalen was her conformity to the
divine will. She never asked nor wished for anything except the will
of God. She was wont to say that she would have considered it a
notable fault in herself, to ask the Lord, for herself or others, for any grace
with greater solicitation than simple prayers, and she protested with these
expressions : " I rejoice and glory in my doing the will of God, not in
His doing mine ; hence I am under greater obligations to God when He
does not hear me, than when He grants me what I ask of Him." Even
the sanctity and perfection of her soul she did not want to be according

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 159

to her desire, but wholly in conformity with the divine will ; hence,
among several acts of God's love which she had imposed on herself far
a daily exercise, this particular one was found written: "To offer 'herself
to God and to wish for all that perfection which He is pleased we should
have, and as He wants us to have it." How perfectly this submission
was practiced by her became evident on the second of the eight days of
that great ecstasy of hers, in which, speaking of the coming of the Holy
Ghost and the wish she felt to receive Him, she declared herself one
with the divine will in these words, suggested more by the logic of the
heart than of the intellect : " I with a desire wish Him and do not wish
Him ; and well do I know that I must and must not wish Him ; and with
this desire I wish Him for myself and for all. How is this? These are
contrary things, to wish and not to wish. I say that I do not want to
wish by myself, as if by myself; because I do not want to have any desire
of my own. And I dare say — nay, I will say — that if He were granted to
me, that in this my will might be done, and not His as His, and not as
mine, though in this there would be His will, but not primarily ; I will
say finally that in no way would I be satisfied, so much am I determined
not to retake possession of and make mine that which I have already
given Him and which I want to be wholly His, that I may say with all
truth: ''Fiat voluntas tuaS I speak of my will and of my desire, for the
good which comes to me by this channel seems not good to me ; and
I would rather choose not to possess any other gifts except (and this
is also His) to give up all my will and all my desire in them, than to
have any other gift according to my desire and my will : ' In me sint
Deus vota tua, et non vota mea*1 — 'Let every wish of Thine, O God, be
fulfilled by me, and none of mine. ' ' Thus did this holy soul loftily
raise her will to conform to God's will. But we should not wonder at
it, since the -first lesson given her by the Holy Ghost in early life, per
haps in her infancy, and the first grace which she, divinely inspired,
asked of the Lord, was to fulfill in everything until death His divine
will. Therefore, looking up to heaven, she frequently said : UO Lord,
Thou knowest that even from my childhood I desired to please Thee ! "
Which desire in her finally reached such a degree that many a time with
great feeling she protested thus : " If I should here see hell opened, O my
Lord, and know it to be Thy will that I should suffer eternally in those
flames, I myself would plunge into them, to fulfill Thy holy will." She
also protested that if in anything a doubt should have arisen before her,
whether that thing was conformable to God's will, though she might
have had undertaken it in good faith, yet she would not have continued
it, even though it cost her life ; and on the contrary, for the same reason,
she would not have omitted anything, even the least thing, which she
thought to be according to God's will. This disposition she had, not
only in consequence of an act which had become generic and habitual,
but because in the smallest action she constantly renewed it ; so that she
was many times heard to say, in speaking of going from one room to
another, or the like: "If I did not think that it was the will of God, I
would not go from here to there."

What is generally found to be so hard even by spiritual persons —
that is, to actually direct every action to God — was to Mary Magdalen so

160 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

easy and familiar as to make it seem impossible to her that reasonable
beings could act inconsiderately ; and she wanted by all means that the
first consideration should always be for the will of God. She would thus
speak to the sisters: "If you wish to reach great perfection in a short
time, you must try to perform all your actions in order to fulfill the will
of God, as this holy intention is capable of sanctifying the work." On
noticing that they did this only indirectly, she used to feel unutterable
pain and give vent to these and the like words of complaint : " O Sisters,
how much we lose, because we do not understand this traffic !" She
was so enamored of doing the will of God, that, at simply hearing it
spoken of, she used to sparkle with joy, and her rejoicing soul was some
time rapt in ecstasy. This took place particularly one evening, when
nearly all the nuns having retired to their cells to rest, and Magdalen
having remained for a little while in the corridor, she heard some one
say that a certain sister felt a great desire to do the will of God ; at
which, greatly rejoicing, she said : ' ' She has good reason to feel so ; as
doing the will of God is the most amiable action." She became so
glowing with heavenly enthusiasm that she remained alienated from her
senses ; and, unable to keep within herself the excessive sweetness which
the object of her ecstasy caused her to feel, thus ecstatic she ran through
the dormitory, exclaiming that the will of God was lovable ; and she
called the sisters to come together with her to confess that the will of
God was amiable. At this cry of God's Spirit in her the sisters felt
their hearts touched, and, they also partaking of Magdalen's zeal, came
out of their cells and with her went to a small oratory in the interior of
the monastery, where, not without tears of devotion, in a loud and
unanimous voice they confessed the will of God to be amiable, a great
desire remaining in them all to fulfill it.

At other times also she used to say to the sisters : u Do you not feel
what suavity this simple expression contains : Will of God? " And it was,
in fact, this sentiment which sweetened the numerous afflictions of her life,
they being considered as proceeding from God's will ; and the adversities
and trials of those five years of probation, at the horrible sight of which,
foreshown her by God, she said nothing but : " Suffi,cit mihi gratia tua " —
" Thy grace is sufficient to me." In this correspondence to the divine
will she lived as if dead to herself, and exactly tallying with her was the
likeness of a soul which God showed her on the sixth of the eight days
of the great ecstasy, and by her described in the following words : "She
is^walking along behind her Spouse, without seeing, without hearing,
without understanding, without knowing, without speaking, without
tasting, and, I was going to say, without acting, and altogether as if
dead; only intent on following that interior attraction of the Word, in
order not to offend Him." Thus exactly did she live, always and
altogether surrendered to- the wishes of the Most High.; and look
ing upon her own will as her greatest enemy; so that, conversing
one day with a sister, she told her that she wished for nothing from
the L,ord except that He would take her own will away from her, for
she knew that even by earnest trying she did not progress as much as
she wished in those virtues which make a soul pleasing to God. These
words she uttered with such a feeling of humility that she had scarcely

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. l6l

finished them when she was raised into ecstasy, Jesus showing to her the
great harm done to souls by their being led on by their own will. This
is the case particularly with Religious, on account of the vow of obe
dience, by which their own will is already consecrated to God. Having
at the same time understood that Jesus did not want her to permit
herself to be led in anything by her own will, being still ecstatic, she
took the superioress, who was present with the sisters, by the hand and
conducted her to the oratory, where she offered most fervent prayers to
the Blessed Virgin, ardently supplicating her to be pleased to give her
light and help to know and fulfill the divine will. She also prayed
with great fervor and with tears for the said superioress, in order that
she also would try for the love of Jesus to divest her of her own will ;
and, as an act of resignation, she prostrated herself three times to the
ground, as if to ask forgiveness, and then came out of her ecstasy, leaving
to the sisters many lessons of holy life.

On the day following, being occupied with holy exercises of the
community, suddenly and with violence she was thrown to the ground,
and simultaneously rapt in ecstasy, when Jesus appeared to her with a
troubled countenance. At such a sight she became pale and trembled;
and, looking for the cause of the anger of the Divine Spouse, she under
stood that it was this, viz., that having been at other times made to
understand how He wanted to raise her to a higher degree of religious
perfection, and that her actions were also to be a little singular, she,
moved by a desire to avoid such peculiarity, had offered some resistance
to this, His divine will, and had given way to the thought of suffering
anything rather than pass for a person of singular life before her com
panions. For this, then, she saw Jesus with a troubled countenance,
who imposed on her that both exteriorly and interiorly she should have
been grateful to Him, without opposing to Him the least resistance.
Not many days after, being in the choir, she was again rapt in ecstasy,
and saw Jesus still with an angry look, for which she fell, dismayed, to
the ground with her arms crossed; and, fearing lest this anger might
have been caused by some act of her own will not conformable to God's
will, she said with St. Paul : " O Lord, what dost Thou will of me ? Give
me what Thou art pleased in, and I will do everything, provided Thy
resplendent eyes may look down on me and Thy face may not appear
angry with me" — and she added other words of humility. Having
remained thus a little while, she arose from the ground with a cheerful
and serene countenance ; and, turning to an image of the Blessed Virgin,
she said: "O Mary! I see after all the most pure and resplendent eyes
of my Spouse, looking down upon me with a countenance no longer
troubled but benign. — But, pray ! tell me, O my Jesus, what did I do in
so short a space of time for which I may have deserved so sweet and
smiling a look?" And she was answered: " Conformity of will." This,
then, is what renders Jesus benign and propitious to us. Let us reflect
in regard to the above-described facts in the life of our Saint, that no
matter how much one may believe himself resigned to the divine will,
he will never be truly so until he has succeeded in divesting himself
entirely of his own.

162

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XXVL

SHE MANIFESTS IN DIVERS WAYS HOW HER HEART POSSESSED
EMINENTLY THE LOVE OF GOD.

|HAT has thus far been related of the ecstasies, the five-years'
trials, the recollection in God, the conformity to the divine
will, and the rest, is but the result of that sublime and
noble principle dwelling in the human heart, which, when
strengthened by superior virtue, circumscribes and fixes its
affection in Him who, having extracted it out of nothing,
destined it to eternal happiness. As we are unable to judge
of the hearts of others, except by their exterior actions, the
many wonderful occurrences in the life of Mary Magdalen furnish us
with ample proof of how justly she is called the Scrafina del Carmelo.
If what is written in the divine book of the Canticle is an excess of
the love of the soul towards the Sovereign Good, I am at a loss to know
in what Mary Magdalen's love differed from that of such a Bride. Cer
tainly there has never been a person so much in love with another who
did or felt in the least what our Saint did and felt for God's love. It
has already been said how her mind was continually fixed in God, both
praying and meditating, teaching and busying herself about domes
tic occupations ; and how she was so passionately rapt in the contem
plation and enjoyment of God, that at the least thing she was taken out
of herself and her senses. Moreover, she had during her lifetime such
moments of holy inebriety, that her heart was unable to contain the
ardor and intensity thereof, and compelled her to act almost as a mad
person would, bursting out into words and acts of holy madness. She
who was by nature and the austerity of life of a delicate, slim, and atten
uated appearance, when overtaken by such excesses of divine love, used
to become strong, and her countenance appeared full and brilliant, her
eyes reflected celestial splendors, and from every movement of her person
appeared singular energy, strength, and vivacity. Hence, to give vent
to the exuberant vigor by which she then felt herself permeated, she
was compelled to move and stir in an unusual and wonderful manner.
She used to run swiftly from one place to another, tear anything that
came to her hands, and, as if she were about to burst, unbuckle and
wrest off her clothing and run through the monastery, exclaiming with
a loud voice : " Love ! love ! love !" Turning to her God, she used to
say with the most lively and heartfelt emotion : " O my Lord ! no more
love ! no more love ! the love Thou bearest Thy creature, O my Jesus,

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 163

i$ too much : it is not tco much for Thy greatness, but it is too much
for Thy creatures, so low and despicable !" And she acknowledged her
self unworthy of this love, saying : " Why dost Thou give me so much
love, who am so unworthy and vile?" At other times she used to say :
" O God of love ! O God of love ! O God, who lovest Thy creatures
with a pure love !" and the like burning words. Sometimes in the
midst of these excesses of love she used to take the Crucifix in her
hand, and thus go shouting through the monastery : " O Love ! O Love !"
And at times she would stop, gazing with ecstatic sweetness at the lov
ing countenance of her beloved Spouse ; or press the Crucifix tenderly
to her bosom and kiss it, saying : u O Love ! O Love ! I will never
cease, O my God, to call Thee Love and joy of my heart, hope and
comfort of my soul !" The sisters derived much pleasure from seeing
her in these excesses of love, so that they gladly followed her, also feel
ing a spark of that divine flame. Magdalen noticing them, used to say-
to them : " Do you not know, my dear sisters, that my Jesus is nothing
but love? nay, He is crazy with love. Crazy with love, I call Thee, O
my Jesus ; and will always call Thee so. Thou art all amiable and
jocund, recreating and comforting ; nutritive and unifying ; Thou art
pain and relief, labor and rest, death and life at the same time. Finally,
what is it that is not found in Thee? Thou art wise and joyful ; sub
lime and immense ; wonderful and ineffable."

At other times during the same ecstasy of love, on account of her
ardent wish that God would be known and admired by all men, turning
her eyes to heaven, she pronounced these words: UO Love! O Love!
give me so strong a voice, O my Lord, that in calling Thee Love, I may
be heard from the east even unto the west, and in all parts of the world,
even in hell, that Thou mayest be known and revered as true love. O
Love, Thou penetratest and passest through, breakest and bindest,
rulest and governest all things. Thou art heaven and earth, fire and
air, blood and water ; Thou art God and man. And who could ever
think of and explain Thy greatness, Thou being infinite and eternal ? "
Thus, exceedingly enthusiastic with divine love, she passed whole days,
appearing to be an angel on earth feeding on the delights of heaven.

On the 8th of January, 1584, the soul of this, His beloved servant,
being rapt in God, after Communion, she felt that her Spouse was
greatly complaining to her, because prayers were not offered to Him for
the innumerable and grievous offenses that were continually being com
mitted against Him all over the world by sinners, in order that He would
not have to give vent to His resentment and anger against them and
all other creatures on their account ; and she was given to understand
that in God this desire of being forced, as it were, by His elect not to
chastise sinners is so great, that to make her the better comprehend it,
He Himself condescended to inform her of it by uttering the words of
the forty-first Psalm : ' ' Quemadmodum desidcrat cervus adfontes aquarum,
ita desiderat anima meaadte, Deus" — uAs the hart pan teth after the
fountains of water; so my soul panteth after Thee, O God." Not under
standing how there could be any desire in God, she was saying : " Oh !
how can God wish? No desire can be found in Him. And how can
He say also ' ad te, Deus? being God Himself? " While perplexed with

164 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

this thought, her mind was enlightened by her beloved Spouse, and she
understood that it was the soul of the Incarnate Word that was speaking
to the Eternal Father in such a manner, praying to Him for the con
version of sinners; hence the words ad te, Dcus, that is: "Eternal
Father, I wish for Thy honor and greater glory that all creatures may
be converted to Thee, praise and glorify Thee, and enjoy complete hap
piness; and, as Thou, O Father, hast glorified Me, thus do I glorify
Thee on earth, wishing and praying that all creatures may be saved, and
may come to Thee, living fountain."

Having remained in silence for a while, she then added : "Yes, O
Word, Thou hast already said it : * Pater, clarifica Filium tuum, ut Filius
tuus darificet te'1 — * Father, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify
Thee' (John xvii, i) ; and also: ' Ego clarificavi te super terram*1 — 'I
have glorified Thee on the earth ' " (Ibid. 4). And her Spouse, enlight
ening her still more for the full understanding of His above-mentioned
desire, told her by a similitude that He was like a father who, having a
son guilty of bad conduct, is bound to correct and chastise him ; but
also, like a father who loves his child and rejoices when a friend interposes
between him and his child, and begs him to forgive the delinquent as a
favor to him, because in this way mercy replaces justice; likewise to
God, Father of mercies, she might be sure, it was infinitely pleasing
to be able to grant forgiveness to sinners, when His dear ones ask Him
for it with all the affection of their hearts.

During this same ecstasy she was also given to understand how all
the sins committed by creatures in the world have their origin in self-
love, which multiplies in the soul as weeds do in the ground when not
rooted out by the husbandman. Hence she used to see the world as an
immense field covered and full of this self-love — the beginning and
foundation, she used to say, of every sin ; and which, unless it be
uprooted, ruins the soul, introducing itself into every action and work.
So deeply in reality is the secret love of self rooted in man, and so
tenaciously is it striking root in most hidden recesses of his heart, that
with difficulty it permits itself to be known by man — not to speak of
uprooting it all and destroying it so that not even the least root remains.
A single root alone would suffice to diminish the price and value of and
even corrupt the noblest actions of the greatest Saint. Mary Magdalen
then continued ; "O how much this self-love has been abhorred by my
Word, especially at His Nativity, taking the form of a tender child, and
resting on hay between two animals in a stable ! In all His other works
also He wanted to manifest His opposition to it, loving humility and
hating pride and sensuality ; always suffering inconveniences and priva
tions, and finally dying on the hard wood of the cross, between two thieves,
without the comfort of a created thing ; and He taught his creatures
how to come to God, far from this pestiferous love of self." She also
understood that two classes of persons possessed by self-love are found
in this world. The first are those who are so full of it, that, blinded
by it, they see nothing ; hence they walk in the most dense darkness,
so that at the least obstacle they stumble with serious danger; and
moreover, they, like those who are born blind, do not see the misery
^'herein they find themselves ; and, if this is manifested to them, they

She sees many claustrals and ecclesiastics in hell (page in).

164

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 165

do not believe it ; so that their loss is inevitable and irreparable. The
second ones are those who walk as if through a mist, so that, though
they may be prevented from seeing many things, yet they see the
greatest dangers ; and being therefore easily able to avoid them, they
are in a better condition than the first ones. The less self-love a soul has,
the more clearly she sees, and the more easily can she reach the port of
heaven. Having expressed these revelations, she came to herself from
her rapture, strongly and efficaciously wishing to uproot from her own
heart every feeling of self-love, so as to render herself more and more
conformable to the sublime and pure affections of heavenly things.

As the love of God is so operative a fire, it not only with hid
den flames melts in sweet ardor the hearts of the Saints, but also causes
them sometimes to believe that when unable to resist the divine flames
they can get relief from such great ardor through natural remedies. It
often happened to our Saint, that, having burned for many hours in so
great a fire, with a mad restlessness she went to the well, and, though in
the heart of winter, drawing out some water, she used to plunge her
bare arms in it, drink of it in great quantity, and pour some of it in
her bosom, saying that she felt herself burning and consuming. Turning
up to heaven with a loving and radiant look, she used often to repeat :
" I can no longer endure so great a flame !" On account of the same
divine fire it often happened that even in winter she could not wear
flannels, nor could she gird her habit as usual, feeling as if she
were bursting. Among such excesses of love the nuns remarked the
very wonderful one which happened to her on the feast of the Finding
of the Holy Cross in 1592. Having received Communion, and being
rapt in an ecstasy, whilst remaining in an immovable position, she spoke
first with great fervor on the excellence and value of the cross of Jesus ;
then, contemplating the Incarnate Word who was nailed to it, she began
to exclaim : " O Love, O Love ! how little Thou art considered and
loved ! If Thou dost not find where to rest Thyself, come, O Love, all
in me, and I will receive Thee well." And complaining of those souls
that do not love God, she added : " O souls created by Love, why
do you not love the Love ? What is love but God ? ^Deus charitas est?
O Love, Thou makest me melt and waste away : Thou makest me
die, and yet I live ; I feel pain when Thou dost make known to me how
little Thou art loved and known." Here, on account of the pain she
felt, she made very piteous and significant gestures and motions. Now
she would raise her hands to heaven, now she would open her arms,
now she would clasp the hands in so touching a manner as to excite
devotion even to tears in those who saw her ; and she never stopped
saying : " Come, souls, to love my Love ; come to love your God."
And, being unable longer to keep still on account of this desire, she
began to run very swiftly through the monastery, it seeming to her as
if she were making a tour of the entire world, to seek and unite souls to
love God, calling them with the usual phrase : " Come, souls, come to
love your God." On meeting some nun she would suddenly seize her by
the hand, and, strongly pressing her to herself, she would say to her: "O
soul, dost thou love the Love?" And thinking that every nun felt like
herself the divine flames, she would reply: "How canst thou live?

l66 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

Dost tliou not feel thyself consumed and dying of love? " Finally, after
having long run through the monastery in this state of loving frenzy,
and seeing no other way of inviting the souls of the people outside to love
her God, once she got hold of the rope of the big bell, and, ringing it
energetically, she repeated at the top of her voice : " Come, souls, to Love ;
come to love the Love by whom you have been so much loved ! ' '
During this same excess she went to the well to cool the ardor that con
sumed her, and, plunging her arms into the cold water, she also poured
some of it in her bosom. After which, with wonderful celerity (which the
sisters considered supernatural), without ladder, without any support, as if
flying, she ascended to the entablature of the choir facing the church,
many feet above the floor, to a spot not wider than the third of an arm's
length, unprotected on every side, and, as if she were upon a wide and
safe pavement, she ran to embrace a Crucifix in relief, which was fastened
in the centre of the entablature. Having removed it from its place, and,
carrying it in her arms, she descended with the same agility, and, then
going apart in the chapter, there, on her knees, she spent the whole of
that day, and some hours of the evening, ecstatically contemplating in
that image the love of her beloved Bridegroom, and giving vent to the
ardent affection of her heart towards Him. In the meantime, she was
also seen by the sisters to press her lips several times to the side of
the same Crucifix, like one sucking and absorbing with great relish
some sweet liquor, by which, as she said after the ecstasy, she really
felt herself very much nourished and strengthened.

No less wonderful did Magdalen appear on another day, when over
come by a similar excess of love. Having ascended again and with the
same agility to the aforementioned entablature, and having again taken
from it that same Crucifix and made to Him many protestations of the
tenderest love, she went to the choir, took Him down from the cross, and
invited the many nuns present to kiss Him. They, being influenced by the
example of the ecstatic sister, one after the other approached the devout
image, rendering to it this act of Christian piety. When this was done,
Magdalen placed the holy image on her lap, and contemplating in it her
Jesus dead and taken down from the cross, and looking fixedly at His sacred
wounds, it seemed to her as if she saw Him covered with sweat and
blood. Touched at such a sight, she thought of wiping His face and
limbs, and, having no linen in her hands, she took the veils from her
head, and with loving reverence she touched and wiped the wounds and
the limbs of Jesus in the image with them. Nor was this pious action
of hers left without a divine recompense; for, at the end, the superioress
taking those veils, she found them really damp, as though some per
spiring person had been wiped with them. Which being by the nuns
regarded as miraculous, they gave Magdalen other veils, keeping these
as precious relics, which was not by any means a vain thought ; for,
having sent them after the death of the Saint to several sick persons,
wonderful effects were wrought and seen.

Another time, having entered an excess of the same love, she went
in the choir to the chapel of the Blessed Virgin of the Manger, and
having opened the railings of the altar (which was not used for the
divine celebration) she ascended to it with the same agility, and, having

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 167

knelt on it, she addressed loving prayers to the Mother of God, that she
might give her the image of her Son Jesus, who was there represented
with her in relief. Then making a sign of having obtained this favor-
she took in her arms that holy image, and, stripping it of all its
ornaments, she said: "I want Thee stripped, O my Jesus, as I could
not bear Thee with all Thy infinite virtues and perfections. I want
Thy humanity entirely bare." She then went with the same image to
different places in the monastery; in each of them, imitating the priest
when he offers the Host, she raised the sacred image, offering it to the
Eternal Father, and saying in one place: " Off era tibi, sancte Pater,
Filium tuum, quern ab czterno genuisti, et mihi in terram misisti"—
" I offer to Thee, O Holy Father, Thy Son, Whom from all eternity Thou
hast begotten and sent to me on earth." In another place she added :
" Vivo ego, jam non ego, vivit vero in me Christus" — "And I live, now
not I; but Christ liveth in me" (Galat. ii, 20). " Dilectus meus candidu s
et rubicundus" — "My beloved is white and ruddy" (Cant. 10) ; and
there she repeated the act of offering, with the following words: "Offero
tibi, csterne Pater, Filium tuum, quern ab ceterno in sinu temiisti, et in
sapientia tua genuisti, et propter miseriam meam et misericordiam tuam
in terram misisti" — " I offer to Thee, O Eternal Father, Thy Son, whom
from eternity Thou hadst in Thy bosom and didst beget in Thy wisdom ;
and for my misery, in Thy mercy, Thou hast sent upon the earth." In a
third place, using the same ceremonies, she thus expressed herself:
" Offero tibi Filium, ceterne Pater, quern post resurrectionem ejus ad te
attraxisti et ad dexter am tuam collocasti" — "I offer up to Thee, O
Eternal Father, Thy Son, whom, after His resurrection, Thou hast
raised to Thee and made to sit at Thy right hand." These offerings
over, she returned to the choir, and, having reverently ascended said
altar, she gave the sacred image to all the sisters to kiss, as they all had
gathered to see the wonderful sight ; and she offered to some the head, to
others the breast, to one the hands, and to another the feet of the
Crucifix, as the Spirit of God directed her to do.

The sentiments which Magdalen expressed, whether in ecstasy or not,
were always of the highest and most affectionate esteem towards her God.
She used to call Him : ' * God of love, of sovereign goodness, of unut
terable power, of ineffable wisdom, the keeper of our hearts, the sub
stance of my being." Turning to the Word, now she would call Him:
<( Eternal Word, Infinite Wisdom, Sovereign Goodness, L,ove incarnate,
Word become man, Eternal Wisdom, Word, Spouse, O my Spouse."
Now she would invoke Him: UO only-begotten Word, O great God,
O pure God ! " Speaking of His humanity, she added : " O slain L,amb !
O profound and admirable Humanity of my Word ! " If she looked at
His sacred limbs, she called them " loving ; " if at His Sacred Heart, she
exclaimed: "O most sweet, most merciful, and most loving Heart of the
Word made man ; " if at His Divine Person : " O my Spouse, my beautiful
Spouse, O L,ove, O Sweetness, O Comfort of my soul, O good Jesus, O
my Jesus, O my God." If she named the Holy Spirit, she gave Him
the epithet of " sweet, " loving," and the like. Besides those above
quoted, she was also wont to use the following expressions towards God :
" I will never be done calling Him ( lyoye ; ' Thee alone I want to love

l68 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

and no other love ; the more I find Thee, O my Jesus, so much the more I
thirst to seek Thee," and the like. But the most powerful testimony of
how the divine love was burning in the heart of Magdalen is afforded us
in those interior acts, the exercise of which in great part she happily left
written. Among the many remarkable ones during the course of her
life are the following, written by her own hands, of which it is opportune
to speak here : —

1. She loved to enjoy and take delight in the divine attributes, viz.,
in the omnipotence, wisdom, goodness, and infinite love with which
God loves Himself and all His creatures.

2. She wished to God all the good, glory, and honor that He had,
and would have throughout eternity.

3. She rejoiced at the mutual communications which take place
among the three Divine Persons.

4. She rejoiced at the thought that God is so great and infinite that
He cannot be understood by creatures.

5. She rejoiced at the infinite love with which God loves Himself,
has loved and will love Himself for eternity ; and she delighted in this,
that all creatures and all the blessed spirits are not capable of loving
Him as He deserves ; and she thanked His Divine Majesty because God
loves Himself infinitely.

6. She rejoiced for all the treasures and infinite graces that the
Eternal Father granted and communicated to the humanity of the Word,
as for the grace He had of performing miracles and of drawing the
hearts of creatures to Himself.

7. She rejoiced that the Eternal Father gave us creatures as an in
heritance to the Incarnate Word ; and she rejoiced at the delight He takes
in such inheritance, and at His complacency in the souls of the just.

8. She rejoiced at the love the Incarnate Word bore to virginity.

9. She offered God to God Himself in thanksgiving for all the
glory, honor, and happiness He possessed, and in thanksgiving for all
the gifts and graces He communicated to all creatures.

10. She used, to say to the Lord : " If at this moment I could give
Thee all the glory, honor, and praise that are given thee at present by
all the blessed spirits, and all the just of the earth, I would willingly do
it ; but, as I cannot, accept of my good will towards Thy divine Majesty. ' '

11. She offered herself to God, and wished for all the perfection
He was pleased she should have, and in the manner He wished her to
have it.

12. She inclined her will to love creatures only because God loves
them, and to rejoice at the love He bears them and the perfection He
communicates to them ; and even granted (which is impossible) that God
wanted to permit a creature to offend or displease us, yet she wished this
creature to have all the perfection and the glory of the seraphim, even if
it was to be employed in offending us, thus uniting with God in not
wanting anything but what He wills.

Such was the sweet disposition by which this soul enamored of
God was favored, and such were the acts of most intense love which she
practiced.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DF-PAZZI.

169

CHAPTER XXVIL

HER GREAT DEVOTION TOWARDS THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE
ALTAR; AND HOW SHE RECEIVED COMMUNION SUPERNATURALLY
SEVERAL TIMES DURING HER ECSTASIES. SHE SEES JESUS IN
THE HEARTS OF THE SISTERS WHO RECEIVE HOLY COM
MUNION, AND EXHORTS THEM TO FREQUENT IT MORE.

]OVK is that sweet movement of the heart which disposes and
bends to unite with the loved object ; and as it is not the
body but the soul that loves, it follows that the soul of the
true lover tends to unite himself with the soul of the
beloved, and therefore regards the body as an impediment
and an obstacle to this union. Because of this impediment
lovers get angry, and try their best and would give half
their lives to remove it, in order to secure, as from spirit to
spirit, an immediate and free union. " Behold," says Cesari, " the ardent
love of a mother for her child. In the impetuosity of her tenderness
she presses him very closely to her bosom, as if she wanted him to
enter her womb again. She stamps burning kisses on his brow, and
appears as if she wanted to eat him up. What is this ? The soul of the
mother, that tries to unite with the soul of the son, finds the body standing
between ; and she, with such loving frenzy, sucking this body, appears as
if she wanted to destroy it, or take it within herself, and almost to absorb
it, and thus become one with him, soul and body ; or rather, she seems
from the mouth of the infant to draw within herself through her mouth
the soul of her beloved, that it may become one with her own. See
how the nature of love manifests itself! But you can also see how,
just on account of the body, this perfect union is not possible among
men. Christ alone could accomplish it : He hid in the body His Divinity,
personally united to His soul. And moreover, hiding Himself more
completely and making Himself smaller under the appearance of bread,
He found the way thus to enter — God, soul and body — into our heart,
and as true food to penetrate our interior. There He goes to find the
beloved soul, and face to face, spirit to spirit, the Divine Word and our
soul (which is but a breeze and a breath of the divine substance) drawn
by mutual affinity, kiss one another, become as one and the same thing,
embodying one another ; nay, as the power of the Divinity infinitely
surpasses that of the human spirit, the latter is so much more efficaciously

176 THE LIFE AND WORKS OK

absorbed by the former and in a manner which God alone knows and
can make known, that loving transformation follows whereby man,
coming out of his natural mode of living, acquires a life, a way of work
ing, and a will wholly divine. Hence all the Saints always had for this
Heavenly Banquet the most longing desire, both because of the union
with the beloved Jesus and the recollection of that night set apart by
the same Divine Redeemer in order that He might oppose the most
tender demonstration of His love to human perfidy and ingratitude,
excessive beyond conception. This testament of living and perpetual
love forms the primary object of every soul who, turning her face to her
Divine Maker, opposes no obstacle to His divine charms."

What was to become, therefore, of our Magdalen so enamored of
her God? By what ardent wishes must she have felt her heart borne
away towards the Eucharistic Food? We have already seen how from her
tender years she was equally reverent towards It and hungry for It; and
that, just on account of the daily reception of the Most Holy Communion
therein, she chose the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli. As the
divine love grew in her with age, so, in equal measure, this celestial
hunger grew ; so that she came to think it was impossible for her to
live, unless she could feed daily on this Angelic Bread ; in fact, she
never voluntarily omitted to receive it ; and, even during her infirmities,
she tried, as far as lay in her power, not to be left without it. One
day during the time of her novitiate, it happened that the father con
fessor delayed the hour of Communion unusually, so that the mistress of
novices, thinking he was no longer coming, obliged Magdalen to breakfast.
No sooner did she, against her will and by mere obedience, swallow a
mouthful than the father arrived and had the bell rung for Communion.
The holy novice felt such regret and grief at this, and broke into such
bitter weeping, as to make the mistress, who had been the cause of her
disciple's being deprived of so much good that morning, weep also.
The Saint was so transported by the wish of uniting herself with Jesus by
means of this Divine Sacrament, that even the interval between one day
and the other was very painful to her; and at the time of Communion it
often happened that, being impatiently waiting for her turn in the order
of seniority, without thinking, she would go ahead of others, sometimes
even the very superioress. The fervor and reverence with which she
approached the Sacred Banquet a man could scarcely imagine. It can
well be said, that strengthened and kindled in the love of God by thus
nourishing herself with the body of Christ, and becoming every day
more inflamed with it, she was continually in her thoughts, discourses,
and most ardent desires sitting at the Celestial Banquet, so that, as a rule,
before or after Communion, she was alienated from her senses. Reflecting
either on the love shown us by Jesus in the Eucharist, or on His Passion,
in memory of which this was instituted, she would first become
inflamed with the most loving gratitude, and then, beginning to
consider her nothingness in comparison to the infinite divine greatness,
she would approach to receive this Sacrament with so profound a
reverence and fear that she used to say she was expecting, some time, on
account of her un worthiness, that the earth would open under her feet,
in the performance of this action. She was so immersed in the con-

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI. 17 1

sideration of receiving her Jesus in the Sacrament, that every exercise,
though laborious and distracting, far from making her mind wander,
would rather become for her a proximate preparation for Holy Commu
nion. It happened sometimes that during these very exercises she was
rapt in ecstasy, and thus ecstatic went to Communion. Wonderful in a
special manner it was the morning the bell for Communion rang while
she was making bread, when, carried out of her senses by an excess of
joy, she went to Holy Communion forgetting her arms wrere bare
and that there was flour on both her hands. Though in far-away cells,
wherein it was naturally impossible to hear such a sound, yet there was
no instance in which it did not penetrate to her ears ; and it was enough
for her to speak of it, in order that the sisters would consent to follow her
with firm faith, though they themselves might not have heard the
common call. It also happened that, Magdalen .being in ecstasy at
the moment the bell invited the sisters to the Eucharistic Banquet, she,
as if at the voice of obedience, returned to herself and proceeded
with the rest to the Divine Repast. On account of her thinking so little
of herself, she was sometimes seized by so profound a respect that she
felt a reluctance to approach Holy Communion, saying emphatically:
" Oh! how great a thing it is to receive a God!"

Before the Blessed Sacrament she seemed an angel assisting before
the Majesty of the Most High ; and when the confessor exposed It for
adoration, her eyes sparkled with joy, and in her voice and the move
ments of her body she manifested the excess of her contentment. When
ever she knew this before the other sisters, she would run to them, and
break the happy news, saying : "Don't you know? The father wants
to expose the Most Holy Sacrament for us." Thus when the confessor
entered the monastery to give Communion to the sick, she, as if attracted
by a strong magnet, could not help drawing as near as possible to him,
to adore, close by, her Jesus in the Sacrament. Her devotion to Him
was so great that every day (between day and night) she would ordinarily
visit Him thirty times, according to the order she had received from
Jesus Himself in the twenty rules above mentioned. She used to call
Thursday " the day of love," on account of the institution of the Eucha
rist, which took place on that day ; and she felt a special desire that the
sisters would receive Communion on that day.

During her ecstasies she had most sublime revelations concerning
this great gift of God ; and especially in one of them the Eternal
Father taught her the manner of preparing for Holy Communion.
She expressed other devout thoughts in another ecstasy, in which she
spoke wonderfully of how the Incarnate Word rests Himself in the soul
and in the Church. In another ecstasy she spoke with celestial knowl
edge of the complaisance of God in being united to the just soul, by the
likeness the soul has to God, and of the delight the soul feels in remain
ing united with God. On account of the ardent wish she felt in her
soul, she often manifested in her ecstasies that Jesus, in order to satisfy
her, gave her Holy Communion with His own hands. This happened
especially during the two ecstasies above referred to, during which she
had a taste of the Passion of Jesus ; and contemplating the institution of
this great Sacrament, and representing vividly the Divine Saviour in that

172 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

action, she acted as though she actually received Communion from Jesus,
in company with the Apostles. So it appeared to the eyes of the sisters
present, and was so understood from the words she uttered in her ecstasy,
among which were the following : "Dtiectus meus Candidas et rubicundus
collocavit se in anima mea" — "My Beloved, white and ruddy, placed
Himself in my soul." Another time — it was the feast of St. Albert the
Carmelite, — when she was clothed with the habit that came out of the
wounds of Jesus, as has been related in Chapter XIV, in which ecstasy
she said the Confiteor and " Domine, non sum digna" three times, she
opened her mouth as if she were receiving Holy Communion, and she
continued recollected, as usual, for the thanksgiving. By the like super
natural power, one morning (the confessor having been prevented from
coming to give Communion to the nuns, and these being gathered
according to the custom in such case in the Communion-room,
to supply the deficiency with their desire), Magdalen, rapt in ecstasy,
repeated the acts and the words above said, and then, returning to her
self, related that she saw St. Albert the Carmelite carrying the Most Holy
Sacrament and giving Communion not only to herself, but also to all
the nuns who had come there, in token of the delight God took in the
practice of spiritual communion. God also granted her to see Jesus in
the heart of the sisters after they had received Holy Communion ; and
sometimes she manifested in what form she saw Him in each of them —
He showing Himself to her in some as a child, in others at the age of
twelve, and in others still at the age of thirty-three years, in others as
suffering and crucified, and in others as risen and glorious ; and this
diversity occurred according to the various meditations the sisters were
engaged in, or according to the capacity and the merits of each of them.

One morning, it being Easter Sunday, whilst she was mistress of
novices, and sitting at the table with unwonted joy and gladness,
a novice waitress could not keep herself from asking her the cause of so
great a joy. To whom Magdalen made answer : "Because I see Jesus
resting in the breast of all the sisters, glorious and risen, as Holy Church
to-day represents Him to us ; and His presence is the cause of my being
so joyful." Having uttered these words, she remained alienated from
her senses, and began a tender colloquy with her Divine Spouse. Thus
the company of the sisters promoted in her the presence of God and the
love of her neighbors ; and one day, she being in the midst of her sisters,
looking at all of them, and particularly resting her eye on one, she thus
spoke to her: " Oh ! what love do I feel for all these sisters, seeing them
all like so many tabernacles and ciboriums of the Most Holy Sacrament
they so often receive !"

And the more good she understood to be contained in this celestial
gift, the more did she wish the sisters to partake of it ; so that, in
order that they would approach it often, she was wont to speak of it to
them with so much love and esteem that sometimes on such occasions
she was by her enthusiasm carried out of her senses. This happened to her
one day in a special manner, when discoursing on the " Consummatum
est" — "It is consummated" (John xix, 30), uttered by Jesus on the
cross ; applying which to the soul who has fed on the Angelic Bread,
she said: "As soon as the soul has received the Bread of L,ife in

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 173

the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar, by the close union contracted
with God, she can say also : ^Consummatum est? In that celestial food
all good is found, all wishes are fulfilled in God; and what else can
the soul want, when possessing Him Who contains everything? If
the soul wishes for charity, possessing Him Who is perfect charity, she
has also the perfection of charity ; the same is to be said of the
true faith, of hope, purity, wisdom, humility, and meekness ; as
Christ in the soul, by means of this food, begets all the virtues. What
can the soul want or wish, if all the virtues, gifts, and, graces she
might wish are gathered in that wonderful God, who is truly under
those sacramental species, as in truth He is sitting at the right
hand of His Father in heaven ? Ah ! Oh ! how well then the soul,
having and professing this God, can say with truth : * Consummatum estP
She wants nothing, she wishes for nothing, she longs for nothing else
but Him who then has given Himself wholly to her, communicating
to her, together with Himself, all his goods."

At another time, as she was giving the spiritual exercises (availing
herself of those of St. Ignatius) to one of her novices, the latter relat
ing to the saintly mother how in her meditation on the Divine Eucharist
she had centred her thoughts so much on the love with which Jesus
had instituted it, that she could not pass to any other idea, Magdalen,
feeling her heart touched by such expressions, replied several times:
" When one stops to think on love, she cannot proceed further, but must
stop at love ;n and here she went into ecstasy. At another time, being
still mistress of novices, she knelt in their midst, and, crossing her arms
on her breast, said these words : u O sisters, were we to penetrate
deeply into the fact that whilst the sacred species last within us, the
Divine Word performs in us those operations which He performs in the
bosom of His Eternal Father, and the Word being in the bosom of the
Father, and the Father in the Word, and the Holy Ghost in both insep
arably, we, in receiving the Word, receive all the Most Holy Trinity:
Oh! if we would penetrate it! Oh! if we would know it! we would not
approach Holy Communion so much at random, nor would we for such
trifling causes neglect to receive it, but we would think well on it
before omitting it." Such words, uttered with the greatest fervor, caused
in the soul of the novices great desire to frequent the Eucharistic table.
Knowing that any one had omitted by her own will Holy Communion,
she felt such grief in consequence of it, that it made her weep ; and she
used to address such a one in words like these : " Thou dost not know,
O sister, of how much good thou hast deprived thyself; ah ! how much
good thou hast lost this morning !" And she added the most pressing
exhortations to persuade the frequenting of the Eucharistic Sacrament,
demonstrating the advantages it brings to the soul, and the offense
offered to the love of Jesus by omitting Holy Communion when one
can receive it.

One morning, two nuns having been casually left without Holy
Communion, and Magdalen being in ecstasy, as soon as she heard some
one speaking of that, she came to herself, and, all inflamed with charity,
went to call back the confessor, who was about leaving the church, and
begged of him that for the love of God he would give Communion to

174 THE LIKK AND WORKS OF

those two sisters ; which being done by him, her spirit abandoned itself
again to the ecstatic contemplation. She would pray the Divine Good
ness, fervently and incessantly, to be pleased to preserve in her
monastery, till the end of the world, the practice of frequenting the
Most Holy Sacrament ; and therefore to grant them spiritual fathers
who would feel this desire also, and who would have such light as
to worthily admit the sisters to this Banquet. On noticing in any
one little fervor and diligence, she was also wont to say : "I am pretty
sure that a single Communion made with true spirit and sentiment, is
apt to raise the soul to a great perfection of life." Sometimes she called
to herself some sister, and with many sighs and tears, told her : u Let
us pray to the Lord, sister, that He may grant us light that we may not
grow so cold and frozen in His service, and particularly in frequenting
this Food of Life."

Among the fruits she attributed to the frequent receiving of Jesus
in the Sacrament for the benefit of her monastery, was the detachment
and seclusion from the society of seculars, which she remarked in all the
sisters, and in which .311^ felt immense consolation. Encouraging those
who, through pusillanimity and excessive fear abstained sometimes from
receiving their Spouse Jesus in the Host, she used to say to them :
"Offer to God in reparation all the actions you perform, and perform
them with the intention of pleasing His Divine Majesty, then go to
Communion with purity of heart and with humility, in memory of His
Passion, as He has ordained." Again: "As a preparation, think
attentively and try to penetrate the fact that what you receive is God,
Who gave Himself to us, through love ; and therefore He wants to be
received with feelings of great love and gratitude." Sometimes she
suggested that, the better to prepare one's self, a Communion would be
offered on behalf of another, as to a frequent communicant one is a
preparation for the other; and she taught that from Communion to
Vesper time, one should be exclusively engaged in thanking Jesus,
Whom one has received ; and from Vesper time till the morning follow
ing, in preparing, by thinking of Him Who is to be received again in
the next Communion. Among other reflections she suggested for this
purpose, were the following ones: "Think you have to perform the
greatest action that can be performed in this world, that is, to receive
within you the great God. Think that whilst you deserve to be hurled
into hell, Jesus, through His goodness, shows you so much mercy, that
He gives Himself to you in the Most Holy Sacrament: what purity
should your heart possess, having to receive the Fount of purity!"
Moreover, she regarded it of the highest importance to approach Holy
Communion free not only from anger, but even from the slightest
bitterness towards our neighbor, as a Sacrament of love should not be
received if fraternal charity does not exist. " If you have anything,"
she used to say, "against any sister, try, before you go to Communion, to
feel within yourselves interior sweetness towards all; and when you do
not feel it, ask it of Jesus, until He gives it to you. And if you
experience a prompt determination to lay down your life and blood for
that sister, in case the will of God required it, go then freely to Holy
Communion." For the same exercise of charity, she recommended that,

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 175

in preparation, one should have a desire to benefit the whole world, and
ask God to grant a hunger for this Sacred Food to all faithful souls.

She did not like to see the sisters going to work through the mon
astery so soon after Communion, but wished them to remain for a while
to enjoy the presence of their Divine Guest, making them reflect that this
was the most precious time we have in this life, and the most appropriate
to treat with God and give Him the opportunity to purify, enlighten,
and sanctify our souls. Hence she taught them to employ that time in
loving aspirations, praise, thanksgiving, and offering of themselves to
God ; and that there was no means more efficacious to perfect a soul than
the spending of the time after Holy Communion in such pious exercises,
as the person who learns from Jesus needs no other books or teachers.
What a shower of heavenly sweetness would fall on herself, and what
flames of divine love she would send forth to heaven after feeding her
soul with the Bread of Angels, he may imagine who reads the history of
her life and the sublime knowledge with which she was privileged.

On the 1 2th of February, 1584, as the nuns could not receive Com
munion sacramen tally, they had come together, according to the above-
mentioned custom, for their spiritual communion. Magdalen, being
very anxious to feed on the Bread of L,ife, began to pray with the others,
and, being soon rapt in ecstasy, was consoled by a joyful vision, in
which, with the eyes of her angelic mind, she again saw St. Albert the
Carmelite, who held in his hand the pyx of the Most Holy Sacrament,
took out the Host and gave Communion to all those who greatly ivished
for it, passing by the others ; and, having thus completed the act in that
place, he went through the monastery to give Communion to some
others desirous of it, but who through obedience were engaged in some
community work, giving to them words of consolation, whilst to her he
said : 4 ' Know that though these brides of God neither feel nor see that
I, blessed soul, give them Communion ; they are, nevertheless, enriched
and favored, through me, with all the gifts and graces they would have
received if they had, in fact, received Holy Communion ; and though I
may not be by them loved as a father and held in that veneration they
owe me, as one who has battled under the same banner of the Virgin
Mary under which they battle, I would not, nevertheless, keep myself
from proving to them a loving father by ministering to them the Food
of Life."

On Good Friday of the same year, she understood the new exercises
she was to perform when she could not receive Holy Communion ; and it
seeming to her that her soul was dipped thrice in His sacred side, after a
short silence, being rapt in ecstasy, she spoke as follows: "I will not ask
Thee, O my God, that Thou come to me sacramentally, as Thy Church
ordains otherwise ; but rather do I ask of Thee the knowledge of Thee
and of myself, for, if I get that, I know I will love Thee, and if I have
Thy love, how canst Thou not come to me, that love being the cause of
making the soul come to Thee ? Should I receive Thee sacramentally
without this love, Thou wouldst pass by and wouldst not dwell in my soul.
What shall I do, O Word, in that day when I cannot sacramentally
receive Thee? First, redouble the above knowledge ; secondly, multiply

176 THE: LIFE AND WORKS OF

prayer ; thirdly, examine my conscience more fervently and carefully,
and have contrition for my sins and imperfections ; fourthly, more often
raise my mind to Thee; fifthly, be more sober in speaking; sixthly, more
circumspect in temptation ; seventhly, more God-fearing in all my actions
and operations ; eighthly, more affable in conversation, with a resolution
to bear patiently everything contrary ; ninthly, in fine, and in conclusion
and fulfillment of all other things, be more prompt to obey my superiors,
equals, and inferiors. If Thou dost the will of those who obey, as Thou
sayest that Thou dost ; then if I shall be obedient and pray to Thee to
unite Thyself to me, Thou shalt do my will. I go to receive Thee, to
honor Thee, to unite with Thee, for the repose of the souls in purgatory,
and to make a commemoration of Thy Passion in that most Holy
Sacrament. If I shall not be able during these days to make this
commemoration, I will pass to that which, shortly after, Thou didst
make in the garden: " Non mea voluntas, scd tua" — "Not my will,
but Thine be done" (Luke xxii, 42). I can also afford relief to the souls
in purgatory by performing acts of charity, reciting psalms, and making
an offering to Thee of Thy blood." Here she made in silence a longer
pause, after which she ended with these words : " Two more, and then it
is done." She meant to say that Jesus had to dip her twice more in His
side, and then the seven dips were completed which the Divine Spouse
had promised to give to this beloved soul, in order to purify her with
His Blood and bring her to the highest perfection that can be attained
during this earthly life.

As a reverent desire to frequent the Eucharistic Banquet is a token
of conscientious purity, so the nausea and indifference which most
people feel for It indicate an impure and guilty heart. He who
approaches it simply because he is forced by the precept of the Church,
gives evidence of knowing very little of the excellence of this gift ; and
he who even refuses to comply with this duty, shows a reprobate soul,
that to the excess of love opposes the excess of ingratitude. This
perfidy was to the Heart of Christ a sword which pierced it and caused
it the most acute pain; of 'it He always complained: " Filio s nutrivi
et exaltavi: ipsiautem spreverunt me" — "I have brought up children and
exalted them ; but they have despised me " (Isai. i, 2). He wished with
the most ardent desire to institute this Fountain of our salvation, in which
He gives us to drink His Blood, the Well-spring of all our good. He
hunts up men; to them He is longing to give Himself; to them He says
from the sacred ciborinms : " Come to Me, O all ye who are oppressed by
the labors of humanity, and I will give you comfort and strength." The
Eternal Father from above those tabernacles cries out, too: " Hie est
Filiusmeus delectus. . . . Ipsum audite" — "This is My beloved Son, hear
Him " (Luke ix, 35). He offers to us His beloved Son, from whom we
may learn wisdom, fortitude, and all the virtues we need. In a word,
the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ with His Divinity
is the greatest effusion He can make of His goodness, because it is
Himself, than Whom no greater good exists. And thus, on out part, we
manifest the most monstrous ingratitude towards this Divine Benefactor,
and cause to ourselves the greatest misfortune. Not a few even go so

She sees the glory that the Jesuit, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, enjoys
in heaven (page 116).

176

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

far as to criticise the Church, because she compels her children to
receive Holy Communion annually. Besides the total want of cor
respondence of love towards God, these also manifest that their spirit
makes a bad use of the faculty which distinguishes man from other
animals. The Church as a society is within her strict right in regard to
the test by which she wants to recognize her members ; and the act of
humility which she orders to precede it is but the foundation of the spirit
of the true believer. If she adds the command to a law of love, this
results but in the condemnation of the faithful who are reluctant to
submit to the sweet yoke of Christ ; hence it well accords with reason
that for this refusal they are adjudged as members cut off from the Holy
Catholic communion.

178

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XXVIIL

HER ZEAL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD AND THE SALVATION OF SOULS, AND
HOW FOR EACH OBJECT SHE WISHED TO GIVE HER LIFE.

IS is the natural prerogative of perfect love towards God,
Magdalen found her delight not only in contemplating Him
glorified in heaven and praised by creatures, but ardently
wished to diffuse among her neighbors the divine flame
which was burning in her own heart. Every action, affec
tion, and thought of hers had no other object than God's
glory ; her fervent sighs flew like darts to this aim. With
a cheerful spirit she undertook every labor for the glory of
God ; and for this she asserted that, if it had been possible, she would have
given her life a thousand times a day. Oh ! how many times was she
heard to exclaim, during her ecstasies, with glowing fervor : u Blessed
and happy would I be were I to be found worthy of giving my life and
blood for Thy glory, O my God ! " At the ringing of the bell calling
the nuns to the choir for the divine praises, she sometimes said to those
who happened to be with her : u Lo ! the voice of God calls us ; let us
not be deaf to it ; let us not fail to do what it demands of us ; let us go
and praise God."

The great fervor with which she recited the ecclesiastical prayers,
she wished to see also in all creatures, and above all in her com
panions of the monastery; to whom, if an opportunity presented itself,
she addressed words of complacency, of encouragement, or reproach,
according to the needs of each one of them, to the end that all would
be as zealous as possible for the honor and glory of God. Though her
voice was weak, yet she made every effort to keep up in the choir the
canonical recitation, when there was need of it; and when unable to do
it, being overcome by the hurry of those who had stronger voices,
she grieved so much thereat that she was compelled sometimes to ask
leave to come out of the choir. At one time, having left her place, she
went before the superioress during the recitation of the office, and, with
humility equal to her zeal, said to her: " Mother, the psalmody is carried
on so hurriedly that one would think that there is something else to be
done which is of greater importance than this." Another day, seeing
that a chorister hurried the office too much, she spoke to her as follows :
"Sister, if thou hast anything to do which is more important than this,
come out of the choir, and go and do it." She gave similar advice to

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE— PAZZI. 1/9

many, and she used to often say : "I dare not dispatch the divine
praises like the other business of the monastery." Thus with her zeal
she brought the nuns to recite'the divine office very devoutly ; and she
noticed both in herself and the others even the smallest fault, not only
in the recitation but also in the least important ceremonies. Conse
quently, she once accused herself of having paid more attention to seeing
that these things were done right, than of having kept her mind fixed
in God. This fervent solicitude was born in her because of the high
estimation in which she held the Divine Office, the exercise of which
she considered the principal one in Religion, after the reception of the
sacraments ; and, therefore, she was wont to call it " the exercise of the
angels." Hence, she -used to say that one should assist in it with
angelic modesty and reverence ; and this she tried to impress chiefly on
her novices. As they were going to the choir, she sometimes told them :
" Consider that you go to praise God with the angels ; that you are in
the presence of the Most Holy Trinity, and that you are not worthy of
being there ; and that at every word you ought, through reverence, to
stoop to the ground."

There are other instructions she used to give them with regard to
this exercise of the choir, which we will relate when speaking about the
zeal for the souls entrusted to her care. She was unable to conceive
how the desire and zeal for God's glory should not have been such in
all creatures as she felt it in herself; she really could not see otherwise.
Hence, she was sometimes heard to say : " It seems strange to me, and
I avow it is a thing I cannot understand, why there is such a scarcity of
souls that hold the honor of God in high esteem." And she added:
"Ah! pray, sisters, let us compel Jesus, with our prayers, always to
grant a pastor to this place, who may be zealous of God's honor."

Having in view also the divine glory, this holy soul had the most
burning desire for the conversion of heathens and the extirpation of
heresies ; so that she cherished a special affection for those Regular
Orders that tend directly to the greater glory of God and the increase of
His kingdom by means of the propagation of faith and the conversion
of souls. The same affection she entertained towards those religious
persons who labor towards that end. Whenever she would hear some
thing read in the refectory in which the gain of some souls to the
Christian faith was related, she manifested even exteriorly the joy and
happiness of her spirit, and (as she was wont to say) she felt herself
burning with a feeling of peculiar benevolence and esteem towards the
happy workers of such conversions, and was longing to do the like,
herself, for the glory of God. The life of St. Francis Xavier, the letters
of missionaries from Japan relating the conversion of the people of
that kingdom, seemed to melt her with a desire to be there, too, to
cooperate in the salvation of those souls and to suffer martyrdom for
them. She envied, in a certain way, the birds which have a free and
easy access to all the regions of the world. She wished for wings in
order to fly all over the earth to convert souls for the greater glory of
God. She used to exclaim with an ardent sentiment : " Oh ! that it
were given me to go among the heathens and even to the Indies, and
instruct those little Indian infants in our faith, so that Jesus might have

l8o THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

those souls, and they might have Jesus ! " Another day, being in
ecstasy, and speaking in general about the heathens, she thus expressed
herself: "If I could, I would take them all and bring them into the
bosom of Holy Church, there to be by her breath purified of all their
infidelity and regenerated, — as a mother regenerates her little ones, — and
then placed at her sweet breast to feed them with the milk of the most
holy sacraments. And oh ! how well would she feed and nurse them at
her breast! Oh! how gladly would I do it if I could!" Thus pene
trated by this thought, when asleep she used to dream and speak of the
conversion of the heathens. Being so fixed in this thought, she im
agined sometimes that she was in those places laying down her life for
Christ's faith. One day, whilst having her hair cut off according to the
custom of the nuns, she was overtaken by such apprehension that,
thinking she had her head actually under the axe of the executioner,
ready to suffer martyrdom, being alienated from her senses, she began
to say : ( ' Does he not come ? Why does he delay so long ? . . .
Behold, my head is perfectly ready. " And in this wise she was nourish
ing in the meantime her pious imagination and affection.

In order to realize to some extent her most intense desire for the
conversion of the heathens, very often she would offer to God for them
the blood of Jesus, and apply towards their conversion the works of
Religion, the Communions, and many of the penances which she prac
ticed. She also tried effectually to inspire the same sentiments she felt
in all those who conversed with her, especially those of the monastery
who were committed to her direction. Hence calling the novices often
together to work or various exercises of the community, being intent in
a particular manner upon the conversion of the Indians, she used to say to
them : " Let us offer to God for the heathens whatever we shall do
to-day ; " or " Let us ask of God as many of those souls as we shall take
steps through the monastery ; " or " Let us ask for as many of them as
we shall say words in the Divine Office." When they were sewing, she
was wont to say : ' ( Let us ask for as many as we will make stitches
with a needle." When washing the linen, she exhorted them to ask for
as many of them as the number of times they dipped their hands into
the water ; in a word, she used to take advantage of every exercise to
make such petitions to God.

She also grieved greatly because the spirit of innovation was creep
ing so much among Christians as to plunge many of them into heretical
errors. She was wont to weep because even men of high learning,
beguiled and seduced by strange passions, renounced the purity of the
faith of their fathers, sometimes for the simple reason that the ministers
of the sanctuary were not worthy of their vocation. So insane a pretext,
so often thrust forth, is a very evident proof of the association of vicious
morals with willful ignorance in matters of religion. Impiety marks
the soul of him who, being raised in the way of the Lord, as shown us
by revelation — the deposit of which is only in the Church instituted by
Christ — turns elsewhere, either to listen to the foolish derisions of an
apostate or to those of his own intellect corrupted by the passions.
Magdalen considering the perverse heresies of such people, and the
havoc they make of souls, used to call them cursed, according to the

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. l8l

language of the prophet — incarnate devils, poisoned tongues, trying, as
far as they could by their words and deeds, to rend and tear the garment
of Christ, which is the Holy Church. " Our souls ought to be," she
used to say, " like so many turtledoves, always grieving and weeping
over their great blindness. "

No less pain did she feel in seeing Catholics so ill corresponding to
the principles of faith which they boast of professing. Very often, and
with very great fervor, she used to pray to God that she might revive
the faith in the followers of Catholicity, and, with faith, all the virtues
it begets. In an ecstasy, with feelings of the most bitter anguish, she
thus expressed herself: "And of what avail is faith to one who profits
not by it? Sow it, sow it, O Word, living and ardent in the heart of
Thy faithful ones, after warming and kindling it in the furnace of Thy
Heart and Thy infinite charity, so that the faith of Thy faithful ones
may correspond to their works, and their works may correspond to their
faith. Alas ! unhappy me ! how many shipwrecks in the faith ! But
why ? Because charity was already extinguished. Thy faith makes the
journey of the sun ; here it was born, there it sets. And what is the
sign given of this setting of the sun ? The darkness of the sins which
are seen committed everywhere." Being stimulated more and more by
these sentiments, she used to add : " Oh ! that some one would take my
life and make me shed all my blood, so that this faith, lit up in Thy
Blood and revived in Thy charity, would be propagated among all those
who profess Thy faith!"

With similar love and zeal, she daily recommended to God the
Holy Church and the Sovereign Pontiff, and saw to it that her disciples
did likewise. On asking one of the sisters one evening, whether during
the day she had prayed for the Church and for the Pope, and the sister
answering No, Magdalen, greatly struck with such lack of zeal, told her:
* * What sort of a bride art thou who dost not recommend the Church to
God every day? " Showing by these words that it was a special obli
gation of nuns to recommend daily the Church to God in their prayers,
so that His representative may obtain from her children love, confidence,
and union. The desire for the glory of God became, therefore, in the
heart of Magdalen one with that for the salvation of souls, in which God
seemed to have wholly immersed her ; hence, while ecstatic, she spoke
one day as follows : "Collocavit me Verbum in desiderio q^iod Ipse habuit
in humanitate sua " — " The Word placed in me the wish He had in His
humanity." And she felt within herself such a zeal that nothing was
wanting, in the limited capacity of a creature, to imitate that which our
Divine Redeemer had for the salvation of men.

This zeal was to the heart of Magdalen both a delight and a martyr
dom at the same time ; delight, because in her trials, temptations, and
aridities she found consolation in her being able to offer to God some
tribute of expiation and intercession for the salvation of souls. One day
especially, being oppressed by the weightiest anguish, it seeming to her
as if she were almost forsaken by her Spouse Jesus, at first she thus ad
dressed Him: UO Word, my Spouse, yet Thou art in me and I in Thee!
0 bcme Jesu, why dost Thou not help me?" Repeating many times
"0 bone Jesu," but without any relief to her painful situation, she had

182 THE LIFE AND WORKS OK

recourse afterwards to this desire for the salvation of souls, saying :
"Sursum corda: habemus ad desiderium salutis animarum omnium
credentium " — " Lift up your hearts : let us burn with the desire for the
salvation of the souls of all believers." And every temptation vanished
immediately, her spirit being immersed in light, peace, and joy. On
the other hand, this zeal was a martyrdom to her, because, as it never left
her heart, it consumed her day and night. In an ecstasy, speaking with
God of this desire, she used the expressions of the prophet David alluding
to the Divine Redeemer : "Desiderium animarum tuarum comcdit me"-
" Lord, the desire of the salvation of Thy souls has consumed me."
And shortly afterward she added: "Conserva me, Domine, quoniam in
desiderio animarum consumpta est anima w^# "-2-u Keep me, O Lord;
as my soul is consumed by the desire for souls." The sisters who con
versed more intimately with her testified that this desire was so intense
and continuous in her, that scarcely an hour passed without her mani
festing it by some word or action. Far from its leaving her memory by
any exercise whatsoever, it rather happened (and this not seldom) that,
whilst in company with the other sisters, she would leave suddenly and
betake herself to the choir or elsewhere, to prostrate herself before God
and implore the conversion of sinners.

As to the offenses offered to God by so many ungrateful Christians,
they were the principal cause of her martyrdom. To make reparation
for them in some measure, very often she would rise about midnight,
and going before the Blessed Sacrament, there prostrated, she was wont
to bewail, with the bitterest tears, the offenses offered by sinners to the
Divine Goodness, and to humbly plead for their salvation. At the
times when God is more offended by men, as in the carnival season, we
have already mentioned how she redoubled her prayers and penances for
the sinners, and exhorted her companions of the monastery to do the
same. One night preceding Shrove -Thursday, calling, as usual, all
the nuns to matin, she asked some to join her, and she and they went
through the dormitory scourging themselves, and inviting the others to
praise God and to expiate with penances the faults of men. During
Lent she also prayed to God with increased fervor, that He would grant
light and strength to sinning souls, so that they might profit by so
propitious a time.

Notwithstanding so great a zeal, Magdalen grieved very much at
being unable to contribute to the conversion and salvation of others,
according to her wish. The great work she was already doing towards
that end seemed nothing to her; hence, in an ecstasy, she complained
that she could not find anyone to fill the desire of her soul by giving her
some opportunity of cooperating with such in the good of souls, and
these were her words: " Consider abam ^ ad dexter am et videbam, et non
erat qui impleret desiderium animce me<z" — u I looked on my right hand,
and beheld (Ps. cxli, 5), and there was not one that would fill the wish
of my soul." One day, being found weeping excessively in a remote
place, and being asked the reason of her tears, she answered : "I weep,
because it seems to me that I am idle and do nothing in the service of
God and for the salvation of souls." On being visited by a good servant
of God, who labored greatly in Florence for the conversion of sinners,

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

and on his telling her of his many troubles in bringing souls to God,
she on the one hand rejoiced very much at this, but on the other
hand broke into bitter weeping, considering it to be a great shame for
her that a lay-person could be so zealous, whilst she, according to her
way of judging herself, did not do anything in this matter. Often would
she say to the sisters : " L,et us not permit lay-people to excel us," and
she would subjoin with great feeling : " We must give an account to
God, not only of the evil deeds which we shall have committed, but also
of the good we might have performed and which we omitted. God did
not separate us from the world that we might be good only for ourselves,
but that we might help our neighbors with our prayers and penances,
and appease His wrath against sinners; this is our mission." In order
the more to enkindle in herself and others the fervor of this desire, she
used to often repeat: "Who knows but many souls, perhaps, have failed
to be converted because we have not been fervent in praying to God for
them?" At other times she used to say, according to the language of
St. Catherine of Siena, that God complained at not having in this world
anyone who opposed His wrath and appeased Him ; and she added :
" We, sisters, must render to God an account for many souls that are
to-day burning in hell ; forr if you and I had been fervent in prayer, and
in offering the Blood of Jesus for them, and in warmly recommending them
to God, He, perhaps, would have been appeased, and they would not be
in the midst of those torments. Let us offer then, daily, to God the
Blood of His Divine Son for sinners, and let us undergo any suffering to
obtain their conversion." As the delight she felt in asking of God the
salvation of souls comforted her in every tribulation of spirit, so it also
helped to encourage and comfort her tepid and melancholy disciples ;
hence, on seeing one of them afflicted, she was wont to speak to her
thus: "Thou hast not the love of God; why dost thou remain so?
Thou wouldst do better to think about the salvation of some soul, and
go and snatch it from the claws of the devil and gain it over to God."
And she suggested to her some prayer to be recited for this object,
assuring her that she would obtain everything from God, whenever she
would supplicate Him with lively faith. " O novices ! " she also used
to say, "could you see the beauty of a soul in the grace of God, you
would become so enamored of it that you could do nothing else but ask
souls of God ; and, on the contrary, were a soul in the state of sin to be
shown you, you would hate sin more than the devil himself, and pray
always for the conversion of sinners. ' '

As an infallible proof of the great zeal of Mary Magdalen for the
conversion and salvation of sinners, it must be added that she actually
martyred her body, and asked God always for infirmities and trials, to
expiate the sins and procure the salvation of sinners. Whatever pun
ishment they deserved, even if it had been the pains of purgatory,
she wished it to fall on herself. And going farther, she came even to
offering herself spontaneously to God to stay in hell to suffer for the
salvation of others, provided she would not there curse and blaspheme
His Divine Majesty. Hence she once said in an ecstasy, that if a person
were to be sent to hell (without offending God), for the sincere con
version of a soul, he should glory in it, as this all tends to the pure

184 THE UFE AND WORKS OF

honor of God ; so great was the esteem in which she held the salvation
of souls. For this work she postponed not only all her temporal, but
also her spiritual interests ; hence when opportunity was offered her to
help some soul in jeopardy, she did not hesitate to give up not only
every comfort, and frequently the very necessaries of life, but also her
prayers and other devout exercises ; and for this end also she often pro
tested to God that she would very willingly submit to being deprived
of every spiritual sentiment and taste and left only with her will, by
which she might love and serve God alone.

Besides the above-described five years of probation, which show
how far God answered this desire of His faithful servant, we will see
later how her desire was complied with — now by means of serious and
long illness, now by means of trials and desolations of spirit. Neverthe
less this thirst of ^ hers was never quenched ; nay, the more pains she
endured for this end, the more she wished to endure ; and, as one enam
ored of suffering, she was wont to say it was her sovereign consolation
to suffer, and called this her glorious pain. In an ecstasy she also de
clared that, on the contrary, not to suffer was to her a great torment,
meaning that it was a greater torment for her soul to be deprived
of suffering for the conversion of sinners, than the enduring of any
suffering, no matter how severe ; as in this she felt so much delight,
that it overcame any pain. At another time, being also alienated
from her senses, on fervently recommending to God the salvation of
souls, she was heard to say : * * For whom at all hours and at all moments
I would willingly suffer martyrdom, and, if it were possible, even a
thousand deaths. . . . Oh ! how happy and fortunate would I not be, were
I granted this grace I so much wish for!" Another day, feeling the
same desire of being martyred for the salvation of souls, she said :
"Martyrdom would not be martyrdom to me, but a paradise." On
various occasions she also said that she wished she could die a thousand
times, in order to be able (rising each time) to give life to a thousand
souls. One morning in particular, being inflamed with this holy fervor,
she took the Crucifix in her hands, and with the greatest ardor of
charity, thus said to Him : " Thou, O Lord, hast wanted to die on the
cross and give all Thy blood for sinners; I, too, O my God, would like to
give my blood and be deprived of life, that they might be converted."
Once, in prayer, God showing Himself to her as angry with sinners, she,
wishing to assuage His anger, addressed to the Divine Word these
forcible words : " O Word, why dost Thou not make me taste hell and
lose my life, so that, at least partially, the wrath of Thy Father may be
appeased? " In a word, she never was without these ardent desires ; so
that like St. Paul, in the excess of charity for the salvation of other souls,
she postponed her own, and the glory of her soul to theirs ; hence in
a rapture, asking of God the conversion of some persons, she emphatic
ally said : " Lord, unless Thou gran test me the grace of giving me these
souls which I ask of Thee, I will say that I do not want to come and
enjoy the glory Thou hast prepared for me." In another ecstasy she
protested that if our Lord had asked her, as He did St. Thomas Aquinas,
what reward she wished for her labors, nothing else would she have
asked Him but the salvation of souls.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 185

Though this zeal was a spontaneous and natural consequence of that
divine flame which was burning in her heart, yet she omitted not
to apply herself to those peculiar reflections which were most apt to pro
mote it in her and make it of the greatest efficacy in others. First, she
considered the love God bore and bears to souls, how much the Divine Son
suffered for them on earth, and that they are the inheritance given by
the Eternal Father to Jesus Christ. Afterwards, she thought how
beautiful a thing is a soul in the state of grace, how God likes it, and
how great a good it is for the soul itself. On the other hand, she would
reflect how ugly and horrible is a soul in mortal sin, and what a bad
state it is to be in. She plunged herself so deeply in these and the like
thoughts, that she often merited in her ecstasies to see souls in one or
the other of these states — the beauty of those in the state of grace, and
the horrible appearance of those in the state of sin.

To proceed on this subject, putting it all in one chapter, it is neces
sary to show here at greater length by what anguish her soul was oppressed
at the sight of the grave and multiplied offenses which men offer to God,
without her having any hope of stopping them, as she wished with an
immense desire. In an ecstasy in which God showed to her the hearts
of sinners, she broke out in these words: "Who will be able to take
away so much malice from the hearts of creatures? It is certain that no th
ing less than Thy charity and goodness, O my God, is required. . . . Ah! if
I were made worthy of giving my life for the salvation of Thy creatures,
and in order to remove so much malice, what a comfort it would be to
me ! A great thing it is to live and yet to die continually. Oh ! what a
great torment it is to see that I might be of some benefit to Thy
creatures, by laying down my life, and yet I cannot do it!" And feeling
herself consumed by this zeal, she used to say: "O charity, thou art a
file, which, little by little, consumest the soul and the body, and
constantly feedest the soul and the body."

She detested the malice of men with the following expressions :
' ( Alas ! these men, so full of malice, seem to me not men but demons.
And what do the demons practice but malice ? Their exercise is nothing
but malice in order to deceive truth." Unable to bear the sight of so
much iniquity in creatures, she used to say: " Whither shall I go?
Whither shall I turn, O my God, so that I shall not see Thee
offended? Everywhere, everywhere I see malice abounding." And,
praying for the conversion of sinners, she used to repeat: UO Father,
O Word, O Spirit, O Triune and One God, grant light to every
man, so that by it everyone may know, and partially, at least, com
prehend his malice." Feeling the ardent desire to cooperate with this
conversion also, she continued : " Grant me the grace that I may satisfy
for them by laying down my life for them, if necessary." As the zeal
by which she was replenished proceeded from that pure principle which
cannot league itself with the sinful desires of selfish man, and knows no
other end but justice and truth, she did not like to be alone in this holy
work, but wished all the servants of God to unite with her, hence she
fervently prayed to the L,ord that He might grant to them also the
desire she felt "for the salvation of souls ; and, not finding it in others
according to her zeal, with feelings of great affliction, she thus expressed

l86 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

herself: " Oh ! why cannot I communicate it to them, so that all, and I
with them, might give satisfaction to Thee, O my God, for all the offenses
which are offered to Thee? Though Thy goodness alone can satisfy
Thyself, yet it would be of some alleviation to me. " Knowing the cause
of so little zeal to be generally ignorance concerning the offense towards
God, she was wont to exclaim : " O malice of creatures, how little
and by how few art thou comprehended ! Good God ! it is not under
stood ! Many say that Thou art offended ; but they know not and do
not comprehend what offense is. ' ' Well did she understand the gravity
of offending God, and so much so, that in seeing the sins of the world,
as they were often shown her by His Divine Majesty, she suffered exces
sive and extreme pains. Thus during that rapture in which Jesus
espoused her, being terribly assailed by great tortures, she repeated from
time to time: " Circumdederunt me dolor es mortis; dolor es infer ni cir-
cumdederunt me. Comedit me dolor inferni,pr(Z multitiidinem iniquitatum
nostrarum" — "The sorrows of death surrounded me" (Ps. xvii, 5).
4 ' The sorrows of hell encompassed me " (Ibid. 6). * ' The sorrow of hell
has eaten me up, on account of the multitude of our iniquities." And
on account of the oppression she felt, she breathed heavily, and, with
sighs mingled with sad tears, threw herself on the floor, shuddering,
whilst a convulsive tremor shook her limbs and the paleness of death
appeared on her countenance. "O L,ord, I can stand it no longer," she
said with a faint voice, " and if sinners do not want to remove from them
selves so many sins, remove from me, I beg Thee, the sight of such
iniquities, as I can bear it no longer. n And she remained one hour and
a half in this most intense affliction, uttering many other words in
detestation of the monstrous ingratitude of man. In another ecstasy,
she went so far as to say : " Oh ! if there once would be an end, O my
God, to the offenses which are offered to Thee ! Oh ! if for once, the
cursed demons had no occasion to trouble me with the sight of the sins
of men ? But what ? It would be too much. I would have a foretaste
of paradise. Thou wilt always, O my God, that the gall of temptation
may be ever mixed with the sweet honey of Thy grace."

It must also be noted that this great and excessive affliction at the
sight of the sins committed, which she deemed the greatest of all the
many sorrows she endured during her life, she had also to bear very often,
since, during those five years of her probation, the devils used it as their
chief instrument with which to torture her soul ; and after that period of
time, God permitted her often to see such sights, so that by the anguish
they caused her she might, to some extent, satisfy for the sins of others,
and be more and more inflamed and induced to pray for divine mercy, and
to do special penance for sinners themselves. Moreover, to grieve for
the offenses offered to His Divine Majesty was her daily exercise, as she
protested every morning that she wanted to do it with the greatest inter
est. In consequence of this zeal she regretted also seeing so little of it
in her neighbors, and especially the superiors, of whom she was wont
to say that they ought to be thirsty and anxious for the love of God and
the salvation of souls, even as the deer pants after water ; and not per
mit them to perish, through their lack of interest, and fall into the infer
nal pit, by not wishing, through human respect, to displease them by

« ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 187

zealous correction. " Oh ! how hateful before God," she ecstaticly ex
claimed, ' ' such dissimulation is ! though He wishes that in our hearts
we feel compassion for the faults of others, nevertheless He likes and
wishes also that those who are bound by their office be zealous and
severe in chastising the faults, that the hearts may be purified from the
cockle and remain pure wheat, worthy of being stored in the barn of
God in life everlasting." And she added : "If severe justice were thus
practiced with sinners, oh ! how much greater assistance would be
rendered to the Church of God than is now done !"

Another time also, in a rapture, God having manifested to her the
coolness of many superiors in correcting and punishing delinquents, she
exclaimed : ' ' Ah ! how many do I see, who under the cloak of mercy let
many of their own faults go unpunished, together with those of their sub
jects and inferiors ! and for this they expose themselves to the great danger
of going to hell." Turning to God, she thus continued : " What greater
cruelty can there be than to have mercy for offenses which are offered to
Thee, without resorting to means which would show the grievousness
of these very offenses, and obtain repentance and amendment in the
sinners?"

In another ecstasy, speaking in the person of the Eternal Father, she
strongly complained of the human respect some priests have in repre
hending and correcting ; and being desirous of showing that this was
the principal cause of so much malice being found in men, she made
use of the following expressions : " Even my christs do not attend to
their work, and do not open their eyes to see what is their duty to
correct and amend, permitting poor souls to fall into faults, sins, and
blindness, so that they sink into the abyss of all miseries and unhappi-
ness." In order to inflame herself and move others to this zeal for
fraternal correction, she used to reason as follows : " If I love a sister, I
am bound, though I might be engaged in the praises of God, to leave
them and go to render assistance to her in her needs ; and if bound to
do this in exterior things, much more am I bound to enlighten her and
warn her about her fault, which is an interior need of the soul, more
important by far than the exterior one. And if in order to help the
body I would stay up one night, or two, or as many as required, much
more, if I felt love for my neighbor, I should not regard it as a labor to
pass one or two nights in weeping for a fault, though a very small one,
of my sister ; > ' (which in fact she did).

God, who in His immense goodness, delighted in seeing in the
heart of this holy maid the zeal infused by Him so well cultivated,
condescended many a time to make known to her by supernatural
means how pleasing it was to Him to be appeased towards sinners by
the offering on their behalf of the Precious Blood of His Divine Son ;
and how, on the contrary, it was displeasing to Him that so few engaged
in such an office. We shall see in its proper place, viz. , in the Works,
the description and the effect of this. In the meantime let these two
most important truths, from which originate so many misfortunes fatal
to human society, be a lesson to us. One is the pertinacity and arro
gance of him who maliciously sins, and, being plunged into his wicked
habits, places these above all things sacred, convenient, civil. The

l88 THE UFE AND WORKS OF

second is the negligence, the indolence, and the weakness of him
whom God or men has placed over others, and who thinks but of feeding
caprice and ambition in himself. The condition and the consequences
of both were justly bewailed by our Saint. The wicked, who, hav
ing freely given themselves away to all the passions, plunge with
insolent audacity into a criminal career, harm themselves more than
others; for, being condemned by public opinion, their triumph over
the just man cannot be but the consequence of brutal force, or of an
effervescent seduction, which, if able to contaminate the heart, cannot
cloud the intellect. But those especially, who, being seated upon a
prominent seat and having the scales of equity entrusted to them,
neglect the exercise of the administration committed to them, by not
giving to every one justly what belongs to him, — encourage the wicked
to usurp and cheat, urge the sinner to plunge himself more into sin,
paralyze the just and the innocent man into a painful inaction. In the
silence and ill-support of the truth on the part of those who have the
official trust of it, others see, at least, a connivance with the darkness,
the error, the crime ; from this follow the total ruin of social order and the
irreparable loss of so many souls, caused by him who did not know how
or would not guide others on the road of justice and truth, though he
was bound to do it. Jesus Christ, the true and only ruler and guide of
the human family, furnished us with the description of such people in
the person of the mercenary shepherd. " He," says Christ, " who
cares but for his interest and profit, and lives in the fold but to butcher
the sheep and feast on their flesh-meat, when he sees the wolf coming
towards the flock saves himself, abandons the sheep, and runs away ;
then the wolf, being left free, snatches or scatters the flock."

The law sanctioned by nature and revelation is above all men. He
who administers it is subject to it, the same as he who is but its servant.
The force of duty is equal in both ; or, rather, the former is under greater
obligation, as being bound to account for himself and for others. Hence
he who administers will only be a good shepherd when, having entered
into the fold, according to the evangelical phrase, by the door — that is,
legitimately — will keep his sheep, viz., the people, subject to him, so as
to correct and punish with the most efficacious energy those who trans
gress, and protect and reward those who are deserving of it, and, as the
last proof, will lay down his life for his sheep when the enemy thrusts
himself into the flock to scatter it. • Justice free from the least excep
tions is the only foundation of good social order. Let superiors
be animated and inflamed with the zeal of this virtue; let them practice
it without regard to all persons and firmly, both in rewarding and
punishing their subjects, and no reasonable man will regret it. Let
them give it all their thought and study, even their life, if needs be. By
so doing their supreme mission will be fulfilled, and there will be no
cause to lament with Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi so many human miseries.
But, unfortunately, if

A sovereign hence behooved, whose piercing view
Might mark at least the fortress ; l

1 The best commentators of Dante by fortress understand justice, as the virtue
which is most needed in a prince for the public weal. Justice begets and establishes peace.

She foretells the elevation of Cardinal Alessandro de' Medici to
the Sovereign Pontificate (page 121).

1 88

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 189

yet it is very difficult to find a faithful performer of his duty. If deter
mined to find out some trace of constant equity, we will find it only in
those States (though somewhat languishing) and in those religious Con
gregations in which justice is impartially administered by the superiors,
who provide in every case, as faithful guardians and unchangeable repre
sentatives of the laws. But, taking mankind as a whole, we are forced
to exclaim also with the divine poet :

. . . Laws indeed there are :
But who is he who observes them ? None ; not he,
Who goes before, the shepherd of the flock,
Who chews the cud but doth not cleave the hoof.
Therefore the multitude, who see their guide
Strike at the very good they covet most,
Feed there and look no further. Thus the cause
Is not corrupted nature in yourselves,
But ill-conducting, that hath turned the world
To evil.— Dante's (Carey Trans.) Purgat., XVI.

190

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XXIX.

HER SEVERE PENANCES AND THE EFFICACIOUS PRACTICE OF HER
ZEAL IN BEHALF OF SOULS, ESPECIALLY OF THOSE COM
MITTED TO HER CARE IN HER MONASTERY.

Y reason of the sublime variety preordained by the Divine
Wisdom in the heavenly Jerusalem, not all the Saints have
received the palm of martyrdom ; but they all ardently
wished for it and tried to obtain it in themselves by the
means which they had at hand. Martyrdom is, truly, that
act of religious heroism which shows the greatest perfection
of a man in his religious faith. But this is none the less
proved by continuous and loyal acts tending to this same
end. Thus in the Christian Religion the constant and unchangeable life
of mortification and penance which holy and devout souls are wont to
lead, is equivalent to a true martyrdom and eminently evinces the per
fection of the follower of Christ.

Of the torments with which Magdalen treated her body, thus sub
duing its senses, we have already said not a little ; so that it remains
only just to touch here upon it, making but a short addition to the facts
above related. We repeat then, first, that her throwing herself naked
among thorns was a kind of martyrdom, together with the other severe
penances which she practiced in order to conquer the impure temptations
by which she was molested. Though from the twenty-first year of her
life, by a singular privilege of our Blessed L,ady, she was never subject to
feelings or imaginations of impurity ; and though the pure candor of her
innocence was never sullied by a voluntary sin, yet, as long as she lived,
she continued with a constant, nay, a progressive austerity in the ingen
ious manner of chastising her body. All this may also be said to have
been directed to expiate the sins of others, as she herself was not guilty
of anything which might deserve such severe treatment. Which is
also well confirmed by her very ardent zeal for the salvation of souls.

Recalling then to memory her penances of the year 1587, during
which she was covered by the Blessed Virgin with the white veil which
delivered her from the impure stimulus of the flesh, she having, from
the year 1585, subsisted simply on bread and water, except on Sundays,
when she used Lenten food ; — she continued the same method till the
year 1590. This year, her probation being over, by divine will she
mitigated such austerity of fasting, taking the community meals on

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 191

Sundays, and drinking a little wine on Thursdays ; but on the remaining
days of the week she made use of but bread and water. Thus con
tinuing until 1592, her superiors noticed that her health had deteriorated
very much ; hence, for fear of losing her, they suggested to her that she
should pray to God to permit her to partake of all the community meals.
Which being done by her, the Divine Goodness condescended to satisfy
the wishes of those who had the health of our Saint so much at heart,
and Mary Magdalen, submitting to the divine inspiration, adapted her
self completely to the food of the monastery; so that, having been
remarkable till then for the peculiarity of her life, she became exemplary
in conforming herself to the common meals with the rest. Always very
sparing and modest in taking what was offered to her, she was wont to
refuse the most delicate viands, taking instead the most coarse and gross
ones, making believe, with ingenious virtue, that she relished more the
latter than the former. This she practiced till death.

From the same year, 1587, till 1590 she went barefooted. On account
of the delicacy of her flesh and of her working in the kitchen (in doing
this work in winter time she exposed herself in the orchard to snow and
ice) she suffered so intensely that her feet were wounded and sore
and bled copiously. Her flesh became livid, and at times she trembled
so that she was unable to articulate a word ; but, never satiated with
suffering, one day she remained thus barefooted for many hours on the
snow praying. From the year 1590 till her last illness, by obedience
she put on her shoes and slippers, but never the stockings ; and for
three years previous to 1590 and afterwards until said sickness, she
never wore more than one tunic and it became worn out and thin ; so
that every winter she caught very severe colds.

From the year 1581 till her last sickness she slept in her habit upon
a straw-bed, and very often on the bare floor. Her rest was very short ;
and when she protracted it to five hours, she deemed it excessive. Not
seldom she passed the night without taking any rest at all, but spent it
in prayers or exercises of pious charity towards her sisters and for the
benefit of the monastery. And if during these exercises she felt herself
sometimes constrained to take some rest, she would rest for not more
than half an hour, leaning her head against something.

Besides the woolen tunic which, according to the rule of the mon
astery, she wore during all her lifetime, she sometimes also wore on her
bare skin an iron belt, sometimes the hair- cloth, and sometimes the
belt of nails she herself had made. She would very often discipline
herself with various instruments, but mostly with an iron chain weigh
ing about three pounds ; and she would do that for whole hours ; so
that being often heard by some sister, who feared lest she should shatter
herself by this hard and prolonged rigor, she would call in the supe
rioress or the mistress of novices, that they might come and stop her.
Of this the mother Sister Evangelista del Giocondo left a special testi
mony, declaring that she found her many a time in the act of most
cruelly scourging herself, her flesh livid and bleeding, and even the
floor and the walls of the room besmeared with blood. To these cruel
torments she added others which her indefatigable and insatiable zeal
suggested and prompted her to invent. It was principally remarked

192 THE UFE AND WORKS OF

that on lighting a candle, she used to let some of the melted wax
drop on her hands and feet, which would be skinned thereby, and she
would sometimes be made lame for some days. She would also press
her flesh with iron pincers until the blood would flow. In the fervor of
prayer, like another St. Jerome, she was wont to strike her breast with
a stone. She would gather up a quantity of nettle in the orchard, and,
bringing it into her cell, she would rub it over her body. During the
time that she went around with shoes or slippers, that the feet might
not be without their martyrdom, she used to break some dry cypress
berries, and, placing them in her shoes, she would walk about as usual,
with great pain. In a word, she regarded her body as a vile beast of
burden, as the ground which we tramp upon. She loaded it with all
sorts of toils, and reduced it almost to the exhaustion of its last degree
of strength.

Now, if so delicate and young a maid, and so innocent withal, was
wont to treat herself so cruelly, it must be repeated that she did it not
only to preserve, increase, and purify her love for her God, but also to be
of benefit to her neighbors, by trying to soothe the wrath of God, satisfy
His Divine Justice, obtain the conversion of sinners, the deliverance of
the souls in purgatory, and the like graces. The love of God was cer
tainly the greatest mover and the primary object of all her actions ; but
as it is impossible to love God without loving our neighbor also, because
God's love and our neighbor's naturally join and become one, therefore
this beautiful soul, as she had the love of God in a supreme degree, so
she had also and practiced that of her neighbor. Being prevented from
going around the world to convert souls to God, and unable to satisfy in
any other way the ardent desire she felt of doing so, except by means of
private penances ; besides the severe exercise of these, as we have related
so far, she would try to put in practice all her zeal for the salvation and
perfection of all her companions in the monastery. To all, as needs be,
she tried to become useful, — now with prayer, now with counsel, now
with advice and lessons, now with reproaches, but always and especially
with her example. She used to notice the spiritual needs of each sister
so accurately that the most zealous and learned spiritual director could
not have known more in that matter ; and so efficaciously did she try
to provide for the needs she had noticed, that there was not an ignorant
sister, who, desiring to receive her help, would not be enlightened ; none
afflicted, who would not be consoled; none discouraged, who by her help
would not be strengthened ; none imperfect, that she would not correct
and oblige to amend ; and none desirous of doing good, that she would not
encourage. So that of all those with whom she lived in religion, there
was not one who did not receive from her some particular assistance,
besides the general help she gave to the monastery and the community.
She spared no labor or inconvenience, and she even forgot her food, her
rest and all other bodily necessities, to assist in some way the spiritual
needs of some of her companions. To be of some benefit to souls, she
thought it proper to omit even her prayers and forego every spiritual
delight; and she held such charitable work. in greater esteem than all
the ecstasy of spirit which she might have had. She gave this reason
for it : " In the ecstasy God helps me ; but in helping my neighbor I

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI. 193

help God." To have a better chance to instruct and enlighten, she pre
ferred to converse with simple persons, as the minor novices and the lay-
sisters. And whenever her parents would send either male or female
servants, or peasant maids to visit her, or when for any other business
of the monastery she was offered an opportunity to speak to this class
of persons, or to children, she would always give them some salutary
souvenir and lesson.

The mothers of the monastery, having from the beginning discov
ered the useful and extraordinary disposition with which the spirit of
Magdalen De-Pazzi was endowed, resolved to give her the opportunity
of employing it, and the community the advantage which undoubtedly
would be derived therefrom. Hence, no sooner was the time ended,
during which, after the novitiate, one must remain under another mis
tress, in the juniorate, she was made pedagogue, that is, companion of
the mistress of novices, at the youthful age of twenty-three years.
Prompt to obey, she accepted this office ; but in her humility she feared
much, deeming herself unable to keep watch over the new little plants
of the Religion, especially because she could not devote to it all the
diligence she wished, in consequence of her still suffering the five-years'
trial, during which she was so distracted and troubled. Notwithstanding
this she completely fulfilled the task entrusted to her, and with great
profit to the novices ; so that on account of her success during the three
years she exercised this office, when she reached the age of thirty-three
she was elected mistress of those who come out of the novitiate, and
overseer of those who entered the monastery intending to become nuns.

Having passed, with great satisfaction to all, three years in these
two offices, she was immediately chosen mistress of novices, which office
requires the greatest delicacy of conscience and the most exact perspi
cuity of spirit, and imposes the gravest and most momentous responsi
bility before God and the Religion. The love and interest that Magda
len cherished for these souls committed to her, the zeal for their salvation
and perfection, the wonderful ways by which she instructed and exercised
them in the way of God, are not easy to tell, as it is very difficult to
make those understand them who have not been eye-witnesses. To the
very nuns who, having lived with her, gave testimony of what they saw,
after relating many things it seemed as if they had said nothing, in com
parison to what they had seen. They strongly asserted that the love
which Magdalen showed, and in fact felt, for the persons entrusted to
her care, surpassed that of any mother. For, it being free from those
vicious excesses to which nature is wont to carry mothers in moments
of carnal or maternal fervor, the charitable love of Magdalen was always
even and smooth in its intensity, always pure and upright in its aim.
She herself would protest to the young ladies in her keeping, that she
loved them with more than maternal tenderness. Hence, she used to
watch over each of them with most efficient solicitude ; and not only had
she at heart their spiritual needs, but their corporal ones as well, as
if she were the most tender of mothers. On discovering some of their
needs, either she immediately provided for them herself, or saw that the
superioress d'd so. If anyone was too timid to ask anything or to manifest
her troubles or needs, the Saint gave her courage and attended to her with

194 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

a more watchful eye, and made her companions watch her also, that noth
ing would be wanting for her comfort. She mended and cleaned their
habit^ ^y. was always ready to lend any other charitable service needed
at th e. She lightened their labors, and saw particularly to it that
they e equally glad and cheerful both in prosperous and in contrary
things. If one of them fell sick, it is hard to tell with how much charity
and kindness she stood around her to wait on her, to nurse her, and
render her all possible assistance. She saw no affliction of spirit or body
in those daughters that she did not feel in herself as her own; and she
wished to free them altogether from it, in order to take on herself all
the pains of others. "Ah ! if I could but free thee from these pains,"
said she, with an accent of extreme desire, " how willingly would I do
it!" If sometimes, even in the middle of the night, whilst resting on
her straw-bed, weakened by her labors, she heard any of them moaning
or complaining, she arose at once and ran to the side of the patient, in
order to afford her opportune assistance; and both to her and to all
she was wont to say, in a beseeching way, that they should not at
all spare her, and in whatever need it might be, they should call her
freely, waking her up even at midnight. She would have very promptly
gone to all; as she always did with a truly jovial disposition, free, at the
same time, from all partiality. If, finding herself waiting in the night
on some sick nun, she was asked by her to go and take rest, she would
reply: il Sister, if thou needest me, I will stand here oh my feet till
to-morrow morning, and, I trust in God, it will not hurt me in the
least."

Once, as a reason for the tenderest love she bore to the sisters and
particularly her disciples (whom she loved more than their natural
mothers), she alluded to the words uttered by St. Paul in one* of
his Epistles: "Your mothers bring you forth into this world but
once, but I bring you forth to God thousands upon thousands
of times with pain ; as I feel like yourselves whatever sorrows
and afflictions I know you to feel." At other times she declared that
she felt such a particular love because these souls were by Religion
entrusted to her care, and she knew that in working for them she was
sure to do the will of God. Moreover, it seemed right to her that
they should be treated with this, and, if it were possible, with a greater
love, for the good of their own souls and of the Religion, in order that
they might become attached to the Order ; hence, she was wont to say
to the sisters : "These daughters come from the world, leaving father
and mother and all the advantages of the world ; hence, it is necessary
that they should find in the Religion someone who may induce them to
willingly embrace the labors of the same." And 'to the novices:
Daughters, you have left one mother and have found many; you have
left a few sisters and have found here a great number of them, who will
love you better than your parents, as they will love you in charity and
in God, which surpasses, by far, natural and carnal love." Thus she
endeavored with all possible care to divest their spirit of earthly affec
tions, raising it to the celestial ones which are professed and followed in
the Religion by those who, being called in by God, lead a life faithful to
the supreme light.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 195

With a view at the same time to the advantage of the monastery,
and thinking, therefore, of the good or evil consequences which may
result to the same from the good or evil qualities of the young, when
ever a girl entered therein, the Saint minutely observed her steps, her
movements, and all her external deportment, in order to find out whether
her tendencies and interior qualifications fitted her for the Religion; and,
to this end, she particularly studied the docility of her intellect and the
flexibility of her will ; and, in these, she shrewdly exercised the young
postulant on every occasion. Neither did she, for desire of increasing
their number, hide from them the rigors of the Rules ; but there was
no regulation of the monastery, nor rough and laborious work of the
community, even of but probable occurrence, that she did not show to
them with an unexceptionable sincerity, which leads us to the follow
ing remarks: Some think it to be the custom of the Religious, that
rather than to manifest the hardships of their state, — in order to raise
a desire for it in those who ask to be received, they entice them
with the captivating ease of a life not only free from human troubles,
but also firm in its tranquil existence, besides possessing the most
valid and rich hopes for the life to come. The young person thus
may give herself merrily up to a bond now considered of extreme light
ness, and which, known afterwards and felt to be of enormous binding
force and weight, will make the young person succumb as a victim of
despair in the religious house, or return to the world a useless, rest
less, and sad being. If of this last alternative society has plenty
of cause to complain, finding itself troubled by elements so hetero
geneous, Religious must not be blamed for it as much as if they had
failed to make known to their postulants the state which they were about
to embrace. All of them hold it as a constant and essential custom to
give to those who wish to receive their habit, the rules and constitu
tions of the Order, that they may read and know them all, and to explain
the spirit and the aim of it, the customs, and everything else that may
have been afterwards introduced into them. Ill corresponding to the
vocation is the ordinary origin of the sad results in those who vowed
themselves to God by a solemn promise. Hence, whilst we recommend
to the rulers of religious communities the most severe circumspection in
order to satisfy themselves of such vocations, we tell them to employ all
their zeal in preventing anyone from falling away from the heavenly
call. A longer trial and a wiser age is, of course, the wish of most
people to test the religious vocation. This is practiced in some States
of secular dominion, and in a manner yet more praiseworthy and useful
in the Venerable Society of Jesus, which, being able to glory as one
of the foremost Orders because of the number of its members, has also the
satisfaction, on the other hand, of having to deplore far less than any
other the falling away of those who have solemnly joined it. The sagacity
with which the Jesuits study and test at length their alumni before they
admit them to the vows, and their promptness in getting rid of them if
a doubt supervenes about their vocation, is the reason why one of them
very seldom lays down the habit after having made solemn vows.

Magdalen, who in all that was possible to her, modeled herself on
the spirit and practices of St. Ignatius and his sons, during the time

196 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

fixed by her Order for the probation of the young postulants, exhausted
all industries, so that if not in the duration, at least in the chief maxim,
she might do as is done by the Jesuits. Not only did she open her eyes
well on the novices, but wished them also to open their own and wholly
on the new state they were to embrace ; and on their giving sign
of the least dissatisfaction, she was wont to say frankly to them : u If
you do not like this mode of life, you may choose another place, as here
we wish to go on in the manner which you see." On a doubt arising
about someone's vocation, she was rather inclined to send her back to the
world, than to make her embrace a state in the choice of which (these
were her words) the highest degree of liberty and free will is required.
With greater reason, if she judged anyone positively unfit for the mon
astery, without regard for human respect she would acquaint the supe
riors so that there might be no occasion of scandal to the rest. On
account of the zeal always alive and burning in her heart, whenever a
well-disposed girl was to receive the habit of the Religion, or a novice
to make her solemn profession, for many days previous she used to offer
for this purpose many prayers, penances, and Communions, and she
asked the rest to do the same. The night preceding the sacred cere
mony she took no rest, but passed it all in prayer that the new Bride of
Jesus might obtain her light from the Divine Spirit to know the dig
nity of the state for which she had been chosen and for grace to effectu
ally correspond to such a vocation. With all diligence she endeavored
to make those who had received the habit or made their profession
attached to the Religion and the customs of the monastery, studying to
impress in their souls the benefit received from God, and exhorting them
to be thankful therefor not only to His Divine Majesty, but to the nuns
also. " Daughters," she was wont to say to the former, "be thankful
principally to God, and then to all these mothers and sisters who have
received you ; as, through them, you have received the most precious
gift that, after baptism, God can bestow on His chosen ones in this life.
The entering of the Religion means that you are bound by gratitude to
love and serve all, deeming yourselves unworthy of their company ;"
and thus she accustomed them to be also respectful and submissive to
the mothers, which is so necessary in the monasteries.

God, therefore, who had chosen Magdalen De-Pazzi not only to be
holy in the fulfillment of her duties, but also to make others holy, endowed
her with so rare a prudence in bringing souls to perfection, that it was a
truly wonderful thing to behold. Her fine discernment made her adapt
herself so well to what was required by the temper of the characters and
inclinations of the minds under her, that she did not seem to be a mistress
of all the novices, but she appeared to assume many forms of mistress, in
proportion to the number of subjects entrusted to her care. She used to
make, so to say, a minute anatomy of the mind, the passions, and the
heart of every one, so that she attained such a perfect knowledge of their
interior dispositions as each of them might know of her own. Hence
she adopted the most opportune and convenient manner of dealing with
them — serious or affable, rigid or soft, reserved or open — as the occasion
might require ; always preserving, though, equal charity for all and keep
ing her own soul in the fullest calm of affections. Of the very many things

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 197

which could be repeated about this prerogative, we will relate here but
a few, from which, though, it will be easy to infer of what ability our
Saint was possessed to govern souls. One of the twenty rules God gave
her was that she should have as many eyes as she had souls to govern,
which she effected so that the more adult and perfect nuns, besides the
novices, greatly wondered at it. By a supernatural light she was wont
to see the souls of all, so that she could make no mistake in the conduct
she observed towards each of them. Hence she imposed more on those
who were better able, and compassionated more those who compre
hended less ; she would show more rigor to those who had greater desire
and anxiety to learn; and, on the contrary, she encouraged those who
were remiss of spirit and timid to walk in the way of the L,ord, showing
them esteem and affection. Thus she would severely reprehend and
punish one for a light fault, and another, for the same or a graver one,
she corrected mildly and was patient with her; with some she dis
simulated, as though she took no notice of anything ; with others she
conferred charitably; and with others still, she avoided even talking,
showing herself far different from what she was in reality. But such
dissimilar dealings were directed by so great a divine light that none
ever suspected her of partiality or entertained a jealous fear lest others
were better loved. All declared that she used the mode of direction
which was most profitable with each ; at the same time that they saw her
severe and grave with one, benign and piteous with another, looking
at one with a rigid eye, and thus bringing a burning shame to her face
and making her lower her head, and turning to another a favorable
countenance, thus reassuring her and banishing all sadness from her
heart. She restrained the excessive joy of some, so that it would not
turn into dissipation ; and she alleviated the sadness of others, so
that it would not fall into barren desolation. She moderated the too
fervent ones, and encouraged the tepid ones. Thus she was to all a wise
and prudent directress, and always in the act either of helping the spirit
or doing acts of charity towards the body, now for one, now for another,
now for all together. From everything she took occasion to promote
sanctity — reprehending, humiliating kindly, mortifying, teaching. The
penances, as a rule, she imposed moderately on those tender plants
of the great Householder; and if any, stimulated by more fervent piety,
spontaneously asked for extraordinary ones, she did not always grant the
permission, thinking that discretion was greatly required in the exterior
penances, especially for the beginners in the way of the L,ord. She did
not reprehend anybody if her soul was not altogether in peace ; and if any
one in resentment answered her with little respect, she limited herself to
gazing at her with a look of compassionating interest; and afterwards,
at the moment she considered the most opportune, she proceeded to
administer the correction — so highly did she value rectitude in the
direction of souls, though the tumultuous motions of irascibility never
troubled her mind or her heart. She also awaited till the subjects were
also tranquil before correcting them. She tolerated for several months
one who, moved by the enemy of all good, was burning with passion
against her; and, when she saw her better disposed, she made her profit
ably conscious of her error. She used to give them frequent advice as to

198 THK LIFE AND WORKS OF

How to dispose themselves to receive mortification with a quiet and sub
missive disposition, as she knew this to be of the greatest importance for
their spiritual advancement. She inculcated in them very frequently
that the fruit of prayer was to be in a special manner the acquiring of
the virtue to suffer all that displeases self-love. "When you," said she
to them, "stop praying, you must be ready to receive any reprehension
and mortification, let it be just or not; and you must be so firm and fixed
in God that nothing can disturb the quiet of your soul." Hence she was
wont to impose the penances and other humiliations as soon as prayer or
other practices of piety were ended ; both because at that time the soul
being recollected in God is better disposed to virtue, and because, if any
one was deemed to have prayed well, she should humble herself in sight
of her faults, and uproot from her heart self-complaisance, which is
poisonous to the soul when without the thorns of self-abasement. More
over, on account of the charity with which Magdalen adorned the rigors
of the penances or reprehensions inflicted on her subjects, they were
not saddened, but were rather drawn to love and revere her the more,
and they used to say: "She is truly a mother to us." Such great
light and flames did they get from her teachings, that some of them,
as they declared, would have walked on thorns to hear her, as it
seemed to them that they heard and saw a spirit of paradise. Some
thing divine was shining in her eyes, which consoled them even
when they were reprimanded. Charity and zeal joined to majesty in
correcting filled the hearts with a holy fear not disjoined from consola
tion. She herself seemed almost trembling, on account of her great
humility, in the act of correcting ; and she made others tremble by the
sacred terror of sanctity transpiring from her countenance. This won
derful coupling of humility and majesty succeeded admirably in break
ing the hardness of insubordinate spirits, not rare among young persons.
She herself performed the penances for her who would not submit
to them; and this not sufficing, in her presence she knelt before
another novice, begging her to suggest what could be done to help that
soul; and in so doing she shed such copious and bitter tears as to
melt even a heart of stone ; yet her face appeared at the same time
as majestically illumined as the sky when Iris appears between the
light and the clouds. Towards a young maid contumacious in her dis
obedience, arming herself with stronger zeal, she thought of using the
discipline, striking her in a more humiliating than severe manner; and
thus she obtained her loyal and sincere amendment. There was not
anybody, in a word, who could resist her various and opportune man
ners of leading souls to perfection. She imposed no penance but that
which she herself first practiced; neither did she ever order anything
without having first consulted Jesus about it in prayer. Before reprov
ing any faults in others, she looked at herself very diligently, to see
if perchance she was likewise guilty of them ; and whilst correcting, she
was making within herself acts of profound humility, knowing herself
to be (so she said) more imperfect and less virtuous than the one she
corrected. Often, after having corrected someone, she went to the
superioress to humble and accuse herself of having done so, judging
herself more imperfect. She always had in her heart and mind the

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE— PAZZI. 1 99

Rules that God had given her to guide herself and her neighbors to
perfection.

Now it behooves us to describe with how much solicitude she
instilled in the souls of those who were entrusted to her care the virtues
which render the Religious perfect and the Religious Orders spiritually
happy. Charity, above all, she wished to take deep root in those tender
plants of hers ; that charity for which the holy founders instituted the
so well-deserving Congregations whose members, satisfied with a short
sleep, a frugal repast, modest clothing, narrow cells, were to consecrate
their thoughts, affections, and cares to the benefit of their neighbors;
or to gather, feed, and educate the abandoned orphans; or to teach
all liberal and useful sciences to well-born youth; or to go through
solitary lands to console the labors of the poor farmers, and to draw
from the wilderness and unknown corners savage spirits to the love
of humanity and Religion; or again, in the deep snow and ice on
very high and inaccessible peaks, to retrace with wonderful arts the lost
travelers, and restore their bodies and their souls; or else to redeem
with gold, and, where gold does not suffice, with their own person,
the liberty of the slaves ; or, finally, to assist the asylums of misery,
attend those infected with pestilence, and receive the sighs of the
dying. That charity of which the Apostles, leaving in themselves
so powerful and magnanimous an example, teach us that, without it,
the regular congregations of persons would be gatherings of idleness,
•greediness, and hypocrisy. St. Paul asserts of himself (he being a man
of the highest perfection) that if he were to speak with the tongues
of angels, had the gift of prophecy, penetrated well into the depth of
mysteries, had such faith in his breast that .he could remove mountains,
were to give all he had to the poor, and throw himself into the flames
to burn and be consumed, and yet was without it (the virtue of charity),
he would be but as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal (i Cor. xiii).

That charity, therefore, which is the mark of the follower of Christ,
the bond of every perfection, Magdalen wished to see practiced in a singu
lar manner by her disciples. Every day, and several times during the day,
she was wont to repeat to them with St. John: " Daughters, love one
another, for this is the command of Jesus." She wished them to love
one another as if born of the same parents ; and she did not wish to see
any difference between them ; therefore she said always that every one
was to regard her companions as daughters of the Eternal Father, as
brides of Jesus, as temples of the Holy Ghost, and as sisters of the angels ;
and that, when together, they were to deem themselves to be as if in a
choir of angels, for the virgins are representing them ; and she wished
their love to be such' that whenever they met through the house
they were to exult with joy in their heart, as if meeting for the first
time, and to salute one another with words tending to the love of God.
In order to eradicate from their hearts every root of spiritual envy, or to
prevent its taking root therein, she taught them always to wish more
good to their neighbor than to themselves. "If you, daughters," (these
were her words) " wish for yourselves a degree of grace, ask two degrees
of it from God for your sisters;" and, giving the reason ' therefor, she
added, "because you must deem them more worthy than yourselves,

2OO THE UFE AND WORKS OF

and better able to produce more fruit and give more glory to God than
you would ; and in this manner you will purify your souls from self-
esteem and any self-interest, and dispose yourselves the better to receive
the same graces." She trained them to confer mutual favors, exchang
ing their offices and labors ; and exhorted them to communicate to
one another their spiritual goods. She used to say that she did not
like those persons who were good for themselves alone; nay, she affirmed
that those who are good only for themselves are not good either for
themselves or for others ; on the contrary, she liked very much those
persons who were spiritually communicative, and she gave the following
reason for it : "If you bring forth no fruit out of the graces God bestows
upon you, by communicating them to others, they might do it."

One day the novices proposed to practice among themselves a par-
ticular devotion, which a girl already admitted as a probationer in the
monastery wished to join, but they would not accept her. On hearing this,
the Saint severely reprimanded the novices, saying that theirs was no devo
tion, but self-love, since it did not extend to the charity of their neighbor.

One was to bear the vexations and the faults of the other with
great deference, and woe to her who murmured ; the holy mistress did
not tolerate, in regard to that, the least fault. She well knew that
speaking against a neighbor is speaking against the law, and de
tractors, therefore, are hated of God; and that there being but one
Legislator and Judge of the living and the dead, those who presume to
condemn others draw upon their heads the most terrible condemnation.1
She well knew how the poison of a slanderous tongue is more fatal than
that of the murderous steel ; for the slanderer by a single act wounds
both religion and society, and tends to rob the individual of what he
holds most sacred and precious. Hence if any of her subjects incurred
even lightly this fault, she would not allow her in the evening to enter
the oratory with the rest, unless she had previously atoned for it by some
penance, which ordinarily consisted in the avowal of the fault before the
other novices ; or, if the murmuring was slight, the Saint was wont to
impose on the guilty one the making of a cross with her tongue on the
floor ; and, if more grievous, she would make her lie supine on it
whilst her companions would dexterously trample with their feet on
her mouth, or else she would make every novice strike her mouth
with a discipline. This operation, more humiliating than painful,
on account of the discretion with which it was performed, produced
wonderful effect. Neither did she allow one who had some ill feeling
with another to go to rest herself, unless she had first been reconciled.
Nay, she had prescribed that twice a day all should mutually ask forgive
ness of the bad example they had given to one another, and of the little
love they had borne to one another, which was also a very valuable
means to beget true love. Moreover, to make them better appreciate
the wise restraint of speech, she used to say that had she known one who
had never spoken ill of her neighbor during her life, she would have
deemed her worthy of being canonized before death. Among the
remedies she suggested to them, in order that they might avoid fall
ing into this fault, was the following, viz., to speak very little of their
neighbor, even for good, " because" (and she often repeated it) "one

ST. MARY MAGDALKN DE-PAZZI. 2OI

commences in good but afterwards generally ends in evil." She taught
that, whenever it was necessary to speak of our neighbor, nothing
should ever be said in his absence that we would find difficult to repeat
in his presence.

The other thing in which she wanted her subjects to exercise them
selves was prayer, the importance, necessity, and fruit of which she
daily expounded to them. Prayer, she said,, is a short road to reach
spiritual perfection ; as in it Christ teaches the soul, and by it the soul
'detaches itself from created things and unites itself to God. "If you
wish, daughters" (she thus expressed herself), u to acquire in a short
time great perfection, take the Crucifix as your teacher, and let your ears
be attentive to His words, as He continually speaks to your heart,
especially after you have received the Most Holy Sacrament. Give
yourselves to prayer, as the intercourse with God in prayer makes a person
care for nothing but God ; let God suffice you, and care not for relatives
or any earthly thing; as, I assure you, in Him you will find every true
good and a perfect fulfillment of all your desires." Every morning she
gave them the points of meditation for the day; and if anyone was
ignorant of how to meditate, she would place her near herself, instructing
her by the practice of her own meditation, made in a clear manner, and
during which she was very often rapt in ecstasy and felt sublime senti
ments of divine things, to the amazement and profit of her who stood
near by. Sometimes she called some sister to spend the night with her
in prayer; and to all she frequently addressed questions as to how and
with what profit they had meditated; and in many other ways she made
this holy exercise easy to them. On the approach of the solemnities
which the Church celebrates during the year, eight or ten days in
advance she began to make them prepare themselves by means of some
devout practice of prayer or mortification; which she also performed,
both to encourage and to instruct them by her example. With the
same object in view she zealously endeavored to accustom them to be
prompt, reverent, and devout in the choir, impressing upon them that
the Divine Office is one of the principal obligations of nuns, and that
therein chiefly is the Divine Majesty acknowledged, honored, and adored.
Sometimes before they went to the choir she called them and said to
them : " Daughters, reflect that till now you have been engaged in
human acts, dealing with creatures; now you have to perform angelic
acts, dealing with God Himself;" or: "Consider that this exercise is
so important that the blessed spirits themselves, whose purity is wonder
ful, scarcely dare with fear and trembling to perform it ; with how much
greater reverence must we then assist before the Divine Countenance,
who are most unworthy creatures?" Moreover, she taught them that,
before commencing the Divine Office, they should make acts of humility,
deeming themselves unworthy to praise God with the angels ; and that,
in order that they might be acceptable, they should offer their praises to
God in union with those that the blessed spirits offer to Him in the
Heavenly Fatherland ; " because," she said, " though it is impossible for
our praises to attain to the purity of those which are presented by the
blessed spirits to His Divine Majesty, we are by no means forbidden to
wish to attain to so high a mode of worshiping God."

202 THE UFK AND WORKS OF

She also inspired these daughters with the same feeling of God's
love that she had in reciting the Gloria Patri, thinking she was giving
up her head to martyrdom for the Christian faith, and other like de
votions. She was also very attentive to noticing whether the sisters in
the choir were modest and composed, conforming themselves to the
ceremonies and the usual mode of reciting the psalms ; and on discover
ing them wanting in this — now with charity and amiability, now with
severity, as the need might be — she corrected them. Once in particular,
seeing a novice who was paying no attention to the Office, and who did
not even compose herself after being reproachfully hinted at, Magdalen
called her out to the middle of the choir and then ejected her, saying
to her afterwards that she had seen the devil standing around her,
dancing and leaping, while she distracted herself and paid no attention
to the beckoning of the mistress.

In order that the novices might become attached to the recitation in
common of the Divine Office above any private devotion, if anyone asked
her permission to leave the choir in order to go and make mental prayer,
she answered her: "Daughter, it seems to me that I would .deceive
thee if I granted thee such a permission; because whilst thinking that
thou dost give greater honor to God, and dost please Him more by this
private prayer of thine, thou wouldst find afterwards to have merited
little, as, compared with reciting the Divine Office in the choir with the
other nuns, every other prayer and private devotion is of little merit in
the sight of God." Thus she persuaded her to appreciate and follow
with love the exercises of the choir, to which she wanted all to be very
prompt and attentive.

There was in her no virtue which she did not try, as far as she was
able, to transplant in the souls of those committed to her care. We have
already seen how Magdalen had at heart the good intention in work
ing (the root whence an action derives most of its value). Her thought
had no aim but the divine honor and pleasure. Hence she took the
greatest care to show her disciples how pleasing to God a soul becomes
that works with a pure intention ; and how this enhances the value and
makes meritorious even the least action. She was wont to say that if
one performed all his actions with the pure intention of giving glory to
God, he would after death go to heaven without entering purgatory.
On the contrary, she manifested to her disciples how she detested, like
deadly poison, the working at random or for any other end but God ; and
in order that they might persist in the practice of this exercise, often she
suddenly asked one or the other about the intention they had in the work
they were then performing ; and, on any of them being found somewhat
perplexed in giving the answer, this sufficed for the wise and subtle mistress
to judge that that sister acted at least inconsiderately. Hence she would
proceed to correct her in the following words : " Dost thou not see that
thou losest the merit of this action? God takes no pleasure in actions
done without a good intention." Which spur was very efficacious to
promote the spiritual profit of the young novices. Afterwards she
taught them that in order to make their works acceptable to God, they
should unite them with those that Jesus performed whilst on earth ; and
she was wont to say that our actions, though good, of themselves alone

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI. 303

are, like lead, of little value ; but when united to those of Jesus they
become like most pure gold. Among the means she suggested for
acquiring purity of intention, the principal one was to keep the mind
united to God with holy thoughts and affections, for the exercise of
which she used the above-mentioned method ; hence, she would ask one:
"What dost thou think about? Where is thy heart?" and the other:
"How many times didst thou think of God to-day? What was thy first
thought after waking up? How many times didst thou thank God
to-day for having called thee to Religion ? What thoughts hadst thou
in reciting the Divine Office ? What profit didst thou derive from the
reading in the refectory?" After they had heard a sermon or an exhor
tation, she would question them on the profit they had drawn therefrom,
and also on the sentiments and resolutions of the meditation, especially
on the days they had received Holy Communion, asking them: " What
did Jesus tell you within your hearts when you received Him ? How
many times did you thank Him on this day, Who gave Himself to you
in the Most Holy Sacrament? " On Thursday and Friday, — days which
she spent in a special feeling of devotion, the one in remembrance of
the Eucharistic institution, which therefore she called the day of love, the
other in memory of the Passion, called by her the day of the nuptials, — •
she was wont to ask of the nuns the following question: "Did you
consider what Jesus has done for you on this day?" Thus, according to
the times and the occasions, she asked them about what passed within
their hearts ; so that she not only made them vigilant and exercised
them to work conscientiously and keep their spirits united to God, but
also accustomed them to lay their hearts and thoughts ingenuously open
to her, — a thing she deemed greatly adapted to attain to Religious per
fection and free their souls from the frauds of the devil. To this end
she also wanted them to present themselves every day to tell her their
faults. Sometimes one of them would object that it was impossible to
always have the mind united to God ; and to her the Saint would
answer: " It is true that it is impossible actually to think always of God,
as this shall be done perfectly but in tjie Fatherland ; it can be accom
plished, though, viz., to be always united to God, by having Him always
in view ; as, even if we work for creatures, for the good of their souls or of
their bodies, and without any other end in view but to give honor and
glory to God, so that if it were not for God we would not do it, it can
not be denied that in that manner we are always united to God ; and if
we labor for the good of Religion, and do it because Religion is God's,
and what we do, we do only to please and honor and glorify Him, it
must be admitted that all those who do this are united with God."

Furthermore, she deemed the observance of silence very opportune,
nay, even necessary to attain to the union of mind with God, as it is pre
scribed by the Religions that the soul may reenter into itself and gather
itself in God ; and she was wont to say that a religious person who has
no taste for silence cannot by any means taste the things of God. Hence
she insisted on having silence rigorously kept by all her disciples, and
with a true religious spirit ; and if any of them failed to do it, besides
the penance she would impose on her, she herself, who was a perfect
keeper of silence, would remain some time silent during recreation time,

204 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

as if to atone for tlie fault of her disciple, saying to anyone who asked
her the reason therefor : u I want Religion to have its due." She used
also to teach what thoughts and considerations were to be attended to in
time of silence, among which was the following, viz. : to consider the
works Jesus wrought from His I2th to His 3Oth year, whilst He lived a
hidden life, which works the Evangelists have not made known ; and she
added that the works done in silence are very pleasing to God — that is,
those which do not appear to the eyes of others; and that it is more
useful and safer to do great works which appear very small than to do
those works which are great only in appearance. But, nevertheless, she
wished all to work with manifest fervor, and that everyone should aim
at the greatest possible perfection. On discovering a nun who was
slothful and without fervor, she reprehended her, and, to sting her, she
said to her that whoever acts coldly in Religion is nothing but a burden
to Religion, being in need of being supported by Religion, which is the
reverse of what should be with nuns, who are themselves bound to sup
port Religion. In order that they might not grow up slothful and negli
gent, she always kept them busy and never permitted them to be idle.

Though the life of her monastery was the total observance of a
perfect religious community, nevertheless, well reflecting on how
easy it was to fail in regard to the holy vow of poverty, on
account of the inordinate attachment of humanity to earthly things,
though these be few and small, she never ceased to enlighten the new
Religious in regard to the beauty and importance of this vow, show
ing them how the perfection to which they were called depended
chiefly upon the full observance of it. She used to try to find out
to what they were attached, and employed the best means to detach
them from any earthly object. Therefore, she had prescribed for
them that they should examine themselves monthly, in order to see
whether they were inordinately attached to anything, or possessed any
thing superfluous, on finding which they were to give it up ; and she
used to say to them that they should rather love to live in need than to
have anything superfluous, as whatever is wanting a Religious in this
life will be given to her superabundantly in the next. That they might
not entertain any affection even for necessary things, she often made
them exchange habits among themselves, as is done with so much praise
and profit in the Society of Jesus, and on the strength of this example
in several other Congregations, especially in that of the Salesians, where
a nun cannot propose to make use to-morrow of a pin used to-day.
Magdalen noticed that one of her disciples had an attachment for a little
book of spiritual exercises, written by her own hand, and she made her
throw it into the fire. She took from another a rosary, because she had
too much attachment for it, and only returned it to her six months after
wards, with the injunction, though, that she should bring it back to her
every evening ; which was done for some time, that is, until that novice
learned to hold it as lent to her by the Religion ; as this is the way
the Religious must hold all things granted them for their use. By this
means she led her disciples to the love of poverty and, together with it,
to the mortification of themselves. In regard to this self-mortification,
considered in its perfect degree, she was wont to tell them, that anyone

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI. 2O5

who expects to find satisfaction and consolation in the giving of himself
to the service of God, deceives himself very much, as God is not to be
found in the satisfaction, but in the true virtue which has its proper
place in tribulations, toils, and hardships, and we are to hold in esteem
only those satisfactions and sweetnesses which animate us to suffer
willingly for the love and glory of God, and to fulfill His Divine Will.
She asserted that that ^soul was unworthy of being called a servant of
God that did not endure and strive for this virtue. Hence, she did not
trust much to the stability of those souls that appeared to have acquired
their perfection in peace and spiritual sweetnesses ; because (she expressly
said) that is not true virtue which is not tried by its opposite, viz.,
temptations and tribulations, as God requires of those creatures who
wish to serve Him perfect death, without which nothing can be done;
and anyone who enters rightly into the service of God does nothing but
in a thousand ways and manners give death to himself at every hour
and moment. This is the reason she gave for it : "The life of our flesh
is the delight and pleasure of sensuality; the death of our flesh is to
deprive it of every delight and pleasure, and to conquer it by means of
fasts and vigils and austerities. The life of our judgment and will con
sists in disposing of itself and its things as it pleases ; its death, to subdue
it always to the judgment and the will of others by means of obedience;
and thus death is given to the appetite of our reputation and pride by
continually making acts of true humility and contempt of self, and by
hiding in order to remain unknown. Such a death must anyone give
to himself, who truly wishes to serve God ; and he deceives himself who
thinks he can give himself this death by holding in his mouth the milk
and honey of interior and exterior sweetnesses; as it cannot be that the
soul which truly dies in order that God may live in it, does not feel
pain." On seeing a novice very quiet and tranquil, giving no sign of
troubles or difficulties, she became pensive, and was wont to say to her:
" I fear thou mayest have placed thy end in accommodating the exterior
and forgetting the interior." She added: "Thou must regret as not
having well spent it, the day in which thou hast not mortified thyself."
Humility being the foundation of every spiritual edifice, and Mary
Magdalen De-Pazzi possessing it in an heroic degree, well may we believe
how much she strove to plant it in the hearts of those girls who were
coming to serve God in her monastery. As the height of the edifice
derives its strength from the depth of its foundation, she first of all
sought to root out of the hearts of her subjects all the ground of self-love
and human pride. She pretended to have less regard for those endowed
with more talent and ability, and more apt to take pride in their
actions, than for others, and when compelled to make actual use of the
former, she would put them at the more humble and menial occupations.
This she did in particular with two young ladies, over twenty years of
age, whom she wished to humble on account of a certain conceit they
entertained of knowing more than others. She appointed them to read
in the refectory the children's ABC book. Others of the same disposi
tion she would order to recite publicly and aloud the Hail Mary,
or she would have them reprimanded by some of the mothers with
words indicating that they were considered as of little capacity. When-

206 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

ever it was necessary to commit to them anything of greater impor
tance, the Saint used such a prudential way in giving the commission
that it would exclude even the slightest motive for them to grow proud ;
and, even after they had perfectly fulfilled the commission, she found in
their action so many and so great faults that in exposing them they
were overtaken with shame rather than elated with vainglory, and
regarded as the mere truth, and not exaggeration, what the holy mistress
would say, so much was she guided by the Spirit of God in directing
these souls. Whenever she noticed that anyone considered herself as
becoming useful, she called her out from the midst of the others, and
said to her: " This daughter thinks that it was great luck for us to get
her into our monastery ; but I tell you that she was very fortunate in
the nuns having been pleased to accept and admit her into it." Some
times those who came to the Religion, before receiving the holy habit,
were made by her, though they had on their silk dresses and jewels, to
wait on the table and kiss the feet of the other nuns. One was very
sensitive at being reprehended and remarked for her faults, and the zealous
mother imposed on all the novices diligently to observe all her faults
and tell her about them ; and she publicly reprehended and corrected
her. Let us not think for a moment that this practice of the Religious,
viz., the relating of the faults of others to the superioress, is opposed to
charity, as those evil-inclined persons would have us believe who get
hold of anything to blackmail or criticise others. Truth conscientiously
used can never be opposed to virtue. Paid tale-bearing is a vile thing,
but the lending of light and strength to those who have to lead their
flock to the perfection of the spirit cannot be but a praiseworthy and
useful undertaking.

At that time a noble girl of nineteen, with great spirit and desire
for religious perfection, came to the Religion. Having spent a few days
in the monastery, and presuming too much of herself, or transported by
youthful fervor, made it known that she found a difficulty in there re
ceiving the sacred habit, as there were no penances practiced and no
opportunity to suffer for the love of God. On another occasion, she
also said that she had come to the Religion in order to be a nun in fact,
and not in name only, and that she would not perform certain ceremonies
which they are wont to use when the holy habit is received. The
holy mother noted both these expressions of opinion, and dissembling
as to the first, or rather leaving the correction of it to a better time, in
regard to the second, marked as it was by greater pride and singularity,
she immediately and severely reprimanded the girl, telling her repeatedly :
"These are the girls the people of the world think have so much light
and spirit." Which words were uttered by her with so much emphasis
that the girl, being overtaken by great shame and compunction, asked for
giveness for her fault, both of the mother and of the novices. This act
of submission, though sincere, did not make the holy directress relent
any in trying, when opportunity offered, to cure the sick spirit of this
subject of hers. Too important it is to eradicate from the soul of
youthful persons even the most secret roots of anything vicious,
in order to plant therein true virtue and with profit. ' One must not
become so easily tired of inculcating in youthful souls those virtues

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 2OJ

which are necessary to them ; nor must one feel satisfied with some act
which they are performing in relation to them, whilst fervor more than
reflection moves and transports their operations. Shortly after this girl
had taken the monastic habit, the holy mother behaved towards her with
such severity that, by mortifying and punishing her at every little
occasion, it almost seemed as though she harbored some ill feeling
towards her. No day elapsed in which she did not cast up those ex
pressions to her several times; and, more than that, she caused the
other novices to reprehend and reproach her as the most imperfect and
faulty one in the monastery. This was serious and hard for the soul of
that girl to bear ; so that, on seeing herself in such a manner and by all
found fault with, she could not refrain from crying and grieving. There
fore, the Saint said to her: " Remember, sister, that thou didst find
difficulty in selecting this monastery, because great penances were not
being practiced herein ; " and by this road she led her to the conviction of
her own error — to disillusion, humiliation, and amendment. Though in
acting towards her with such severity Magdalen's charitable feelings
would not permit her to leave that girl in those afflictions without any
consolation, but she often said to her : " Sister, anyone that wishes to
give herself wholly to God must, before all, give up her own self," and
the like things. Thus, by pointing out the will of God, the greater
spiritual benefit, and the eternal reward, she relieved and greatly
encouraged the downcast spirit of that novice.

In the civil order, also, it is acknowledged that to start a man
on the road to honor and equity, it is necessary from the beginning
to put such a restraint on him as will habituate him easily to submit his
own judgment and will to the will of others ; by the doing of which a
person of education is distinguished from an ignorant and uncivilized one.
This is absolutely required by every educational institution, 110 matter
whether its religious maxims differ from those of pure Catholicism or
not. Anyone who has not been placed under restraint in the years of
his growth cannot prove to be anything but a man of disorder, of scandal,
of ruin. It is j ust the yoke of abnegation and mortification that Jeremias
the prophet wishes to see imposed on the young people, not so much to
make them good citizens as to make them acceptable to God by eternal
predestination. But our Lord Jesus Christ imposes it on us more openly
by the fullness and perfection of the law, protesting that he is not worthy
of Him, and consequently cannot obtain the eternal salvation, who does
not renounce even his irregular interior sentiments. He declares it to
be also morally impossible for him who did not bend to right even from
his tender age. Hence Mary Magdalen employed a great deal of care
and diligence in subduing the souls of her disciples, whom she aimed at
leading to the pinnacle of spiritual perfection. She explored their incli
nations in every way, and, having found them out, without delay she
ordered them to do things just contrary to them. Hence, whenever she
found that a person was much inclined to prayer, she sent her to sleep,
or to some exterior exercises, or to do some work ; and, vice versa, if she
knew of some who were inclined to exterior exercises, she assigned to
them prayer or some other interior practice. Thus she imposed simply
a Pater nosier and an Ave Maria on one who wished to practice many

THE LIKE AND WORKS OF

and great penances, and, on the contrary, she imposed heavy mortifi
cations on those who felt a repugnance towards them. Sometimes
whilst the nuns were all in the choir, she called upon one of them and
sent her out to count the rafters of the hall or the cell. At other times,
she made some of them draw water and throw it back into the well.
She also commanded some to go to the orchard and catch ants or
butterflies. One day she ordered a novice to go into the refectory with
the little tunic alone. She was satisfied at seeing her promptitude to
obey and her good disposition, and made her dress again. To another
she prescribed going every day into the orchard, there to learn from the
trees the manner of praying, and to keep an account of the lessons she
learned from them.

We have already said how very often she delayed until a better time
correcting the faults of her subjects. It, therefore, happened that feign
ing not to notice sometimes during the day the fault of someone, she
waited until that one had gone to bed and then had her called, and,
placing her on her knees before her, she, with severe words, reprehended
her for having dared to go to bed without first calling herself guilty of
her fault and humbling herself for it. But correcting the faults of her
subjects was a small thing with her. What she wanted above all was
the effect of the correction, which is amendment. In order to help
them to secure this essential advantage, she ordered them to come to her
every evening and tell her how many times they had fallen into a fault
which had once been corrected by her. If any of them appeared before
her full of shame for her repeated faults, she would cast her away, telling
her with seeming harshness : "I will lose no time with thee when thou
wishest not to profit by my advice." And then, suddenly, she would
call her back and make her confess those repeated faults which she would
not hear of before ; and, moreover, she would command her to manifest
what thoughts had passed through her mind whilst she had been so cast
away. She permitted a novice to go to bed, refusing to hear her, and
afterwards she called her to humble herself and acknowledge her faults.
Likewise the good, zealous mother once went to the bedside of one who
had lain down to sleep before she had been permitted to confess her
fault, and, having made her rise, led her to the chapel of the novices,
where, after reprimanding her, she commanded her in punishment to
remain and sleep on the floor; and with this order she left her, returning
shortly after to examine her in what she might have said and thought
in view of such a proceeding ; and having reason to judge her humiliated
and well-disposed, she permitted her to return to her bed. A girl who
was on probation in the monastery having risen one morning earlier
than usual, because she was desirous of attending matin with the nuns,
was noticed by the Saint, who told her it was necessary that she should
ask permission of the mother prioress, which she obtained. Never
theless, as a mistress of novices, she ordered her back to her bed. The
girl complied, and, having hardly lain down, Mary Magdalen told her in
a tone of satisfaction : " Dress and come to the choir with us ; I have
done this to try thy obedience."

She was also wont to impose a penance and then revoke it at the
moment it was to be performed being satisfied at seeing the prompt and

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 209

spontaneous acceptation of the obedience, for which she absolutely re
quired a cheerful disposition, free from all hesitation. Therefore, she often
repeated to her young charges that in obeying they should not regard
the person giving the order, but God in her, and her they should simply
obey as though she were God Himself; u because," she would say, " you
did not give up your will to the creature, but to God, and the creature
stands there to you in God's place;" hence, she told them to obey the
superioresses that were assigned to them, even though they might be
lay-sisters, and even if it was a question of things contrary to their judg
ment, being persuaded that what is commanded is the will of God. She
also told them to hold humility in great value, as through it wonders
are wrought; which in fact was experienced by several of them, and
particularly by the one she had sent, as we said above, to learn the
exercise of prayer from the trees of the orchard. She, who found it very
difficult to pray, by means of this obedience acquired so much facility
and pleasure in praying, that of her own choice she would not have
occupied herself in anything else during her whole life.

To a novice grievously tempted she lent her girdle, suggesting to
her to gird herself with it ; which was no sooner done by the novice
than the temptation ceased. She was wo tit to say to all : " Until you
give yourselves into the hands of obedience as if dead, you can never
taste what serving God is. Offer your will in sacrifice to God, and you
will derive therefrom a sovereign consolation. If you wish to comply
with the Divine Will, beware lest by persuasions you draw the will of
the superiors to your own ; but try to execute, simply and entirely, their
orders, and thus will you arrive at a great perfection. If you experience
a repugnance to break your will for the sake of obedience, you show
that you have very little love for God, as you do not wish to trouble
yourself in the one thing by which you can give Him sovereign honor —
namely, submitting to the will of others for His love." And she tried
to render her disciples not only obedient with a tranquil submission, but
also desirous and almost famishing for the yoke of obedience. To this
end she imposed on them that they should never do even the least thing
without her permission ; and as she could not always be with them, she
assigned to each of them a companion, of whom, in her absence, they were
to ask permission ; and when even this could not be done, they were
then to ask permission of anyone present, and never to do anything
without some submission to the will of others. By accustoming them
selves to obey in small things they facilitated obedience in things greater
and of strict obligation, as the same disciples avowed that it had so
happened to them. She reputed as blasphemy on the lips of a Reli
gious : I 'will or I 'will not ; so that if any of her subjects uttered these
words, she immediately punished her, and with inexorable severity.
Thus removing from the novitiate every attachment to self-will, so
inimical to our true welfare and that of a community, she succeeded in
introducing therein those virtues which are the precious and essential
dowry of a bride of Jesus Christ.

Two facts are worth relating here, as evidence to prove how much
light and power God was giving to this, his beloved servant, that she might
carry souls along with herself to the highest degree of spiritual perfection.

2io THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

On the 9th of March, 1591, her eyes assumed an expression of
sweetness and wonder at the same time, in her countenance the divine
flame showed which was burning within her heart, and the position of
her body indicated that she was rapt in ecstasy. While thus alienated
from her senses she manifested the sublimity and vastness of her
intelligence, drawn by compared visions, the better to communicate
them to others: " I see," said she to the sisters, " a column of the most
beautiful porphyry, the size of which is such that ten men could not
embrace it; it rests on a base of the finest gold, partly covered, and at
each of the four corners there is a canal. In the column many precious
stones of divers qualities and colors are enchased ; and likewise I see four
large and most clear mirrors, and many others below them, a little
smaller. Three very beautiful ropes are tied to the column — one of
gold, another red, and the last of silver — which are held by a
great many Nazarites, who follow this column. There is a pilot,
with his helpmate, who with one hand holds the column, and with
the other elevates the three ropes that the Nazarites may see them ; and
the coadjutor holds them out to them, not the three of them at a time,
but first one and then another, though each one of them is bound to
have the three of them. Likewise they show to the Nazarites some of
the mirrors, but only as they proceed, without causing them to stop.
At the top of the column the king of these Nazarites rests his hands on
said column, so that it may go straight, without wavering. There is
also on the summit a crystal gnomon reaching over a spring. This
column is led by a bright star, which fixes one of its rays upon it, till it
reaches the city of Jerusalem, where it has to stop. It is also accom
panied by seven very beautiful trees, on which rest many little birds,
giving great delight by their singing to the traveling Nazarites. Some
of these Nazarites throw darts against the column, but as this is of
porphyry, they mark it, but only break off some of the precious stones
enchased in the same. Some try to unravel those three very worthy
ropes, and others to stain and soil them. Among these Nazarites there
is one holding in his hand a little bell, continually ringing it, and more
strongly when the others wish to go to sleep. There are others also who
hold little bells, but do not ring them. Now behold the explanation of
this: The column signifies our Religion; the golden base on which it
rests signifies that it is founded on charity ; its being partly covered
denotes that our Religion tends more properly to the interior perfection
than to outward penance and exterior practices. The four canals at
the four corners of the base, and from which issue divers liquors, are four
great gifts, benefits, or tastes which are to be found in the Religious state.
From the first canal issues the best wine, which is the union with God,
as Religion is the most suitable and easy place to unite ourselves with
God ; and this union inebriates the soul and makes her one with her
loving Spouse Jesus. From the second canal issues water, which sig
nifies that the Religious partake in a more particular and continuous
manner of all the goods of Holy Church ; and at this canal those drink
who thirst after justice. From -the third canal oil issues, by means of
which the Religious, according to the saying of the prophet, becomes by
participation as another God on earth, for he tastes and feels within himself

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 211

that interior peace that the Word Incarnate once felt here below ; hence
as it was a glory for the Word to suffer, nay, He wished for nothing but
this, and for this He was made flesh, likewise the perfect Religious
regards it as his glory to suffer and to be despised, so that on being
assailed by temptations, distress, and vexations he does not become
disturbed in the least degree, nor permits himself to be robbed of his
quietness and interior peace, as he had already adopted the above-men
tioned things for his glory, and wishes and craves for nothing else.
From the fourth and last canal issues forth a very odoriferous balm,
which denotes the fourth gift which is found in the Religions, viz., the
counsels and the help which are given to us by the superiors ; and this
balm anoints only those who are dead to themselves, in the same manner
that the material balm ordinarily is only used upon dead bodies, but when
employed for the living it is generally used to anoint one of the limbs,
never the whole body. Thus then it happens in the Religion, that
he who is not dead to his own will, judgment, and understanding does
not avail himself of the fruit of the counsels and help of the superiors,
as he believes in himself much more than he does in them. The various
precious stones signify the virtues which shine in our Rule and Consti
tution. The four principal mirrors are the four principal Saints of our
Religion, viz., St. Eliseus, St. Angelus, St. Albert, and St. Cyril, and
the smaller ones denote the other Saints and blessed souls of our Order.
The three ropes which are attached to the column are the three vows:
that of obedience, represented by the golden one, that of poverty by the
red, and that of chastity by the silver. The Nazarites who hold the
ropes in their hands are all of us who promised to the Lord and
made a solemn profession to keep the above three vows. The pilot
of the Nazarites, who with one hand holds the column and with
the other elevates the three ropes, is the superioress who directs us, and
who must in everything she has to do, treat and order, always keep the
Rule in her hands, viz., she must see that all she orders is in conformity
with our Rule and Constitution, never departing from it in the least ;
moreover, she must teach her subjects by her example the observance of
the three vows ; and yet she trains her subjects, now in the observance
of one and now of the other, because, if she wanted to exercise them in
the three at the same time, she would not be acting as charity and com
passion require her to act. She must, therefore, have grace and light
from God in order to know well how to discern the nature, the tendencies,
and the spirit of each, so as to assign the occupations convenient to each
particular case ; for instance, in time of sickness, it is necessary to with
draw the rope of poverty, in regard to the actual practice of it, and to
consign the rope of obedience, by which one may peacefully submit to
the pains of sickness. To the young nuns and the beginners who are
not yet well established in the way of perfection, she ought also to hand
the rope of obedience, and so she changes them from time to time, as she
may deem necessary, though each of them must of herself fulfill the three
vows. The superioresses also point out to their subjects those mirrors
which are enchased in the column, but this they do as they walk along
without causing them to stop; — and this means that they must excite
them to imitate the lives of the Saints, but without obstructing the

2! 2 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

interior vocation to which God called them. The king of these Nazarites,
who keeps his hands on the column that it may proceed straightforward,
is the spiritual father, who must be always watching and see that we
continually and perfectly fulfill the Rule. The crystal gnomon, which is
at the summit of the column and reaches a fount near by, indicates the
doctrine which is embodied in the Rule, and which aims at nothing else
but the union with God, signified by the rotundity of the gnomon. The
fount is the Eucharistic Sacrament, it being the surest and most effica
cious means to employ in order that we may live united to God. The
star which guides said column is the Blessed Virgin, our Mother and
protectress, to whom our Rule is dedicated, and who, by her special pro
tection and grace, assists us to advance towards the heavenly Jerusalem,
where we shall finally stop and dwell, if we shall have perfectly fulfilled
our holy Rule and Constitution. The seven Trees which accompany
this column are the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost ; the birds singing on
these Trees with sweet melody are the fruits of the same Holy Ghost.
The Nazarites throwing darts against the column are those who find
fault with and murmur against the Rule and the Constitution, it seeming
to them as if it were either too austere or not ordained as they would
prefer ; but their throwing of darts cannot hurt said Rule, as it cannot
detract even the least particle from its interior spiritual greatness and
perfection. By these faults they blunt some of those stones that are
joined to the column, as these murmurs being heard by imperfect persons
who are not constant in doing good, they pour into their soul a similar
opinion and easily fasten it therein ; and for this reason, as far as they
are concerned, .they detract some exterior beauty from the virtues and
from the perfection which our holy Religion teaches us and binds us to
practice. As to those Nazarites who try to unravel the three beautiful
ropes, they represent those sisters who willfully break the three vows
and shun the practices and toils of the Religion. The others who stain
and soil those most worthy ropes are those Religious who do not per
fectly observe the promises they have made to the Lord, so that if any
thing is enjoined on them by obedience, they do not execute it with
spiritual promptitude, humility, and the other conditions required of
truly obedient persons. They stain the vow of poverty when they wish
to have more than is given to them by the Religion (Religious Order),
instead of glorying in poverty and in suffering for the love of Christ
Crucified. They stain and soil the vow of chastity when they do not
guard their heart, thoughts, desires, and words as the most delicate per
fection of this vow requires. The Nazarites who have the bell in their
hands, and ring it not, are those who have the knowledge of God but
do not use it in behalf of their neighbors. (She not having announced
who was the Nazarite who was ringing the bell continually, the nuns
rightly interpreted that she was herself, the venerable mother, so zealous
of the spiritual advancement of others, who was now hiding her own
name under the veil of humility.) The Nasarites walking behind the
column hear the disagreeable singing of a bird ; but tho.^e who are deter
mined to continue their journey with alacrity pass on as if they were
deaf, which signifies the discipline of the Religion, which gives no
delight to the sensitive part of the flesh ; but we must be as deaf to it,

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI. 213

nay, try to attain to such a perfection, that whatever displeases our
senses may be our glory and delight, and with the spirit we must con
quer our flesh and its appetites. I see the king of these Nazarites who
sometimes lifts up his hands to heaven, in order that receiving some
dew he may moisten the heads of these Nazarites. This is our Rev. Father
Confessor who, elevating the powers of his soul to God, has them filled
up by God with grace, light, and virtue ; and then, by his preaching,
exhortations, and advice, he communicates these to us, leading us through
the road of perfection. But we must keep our heads uncovered to feel
this dew — that is, we must preserve our minds pure and free from vain
and useless thoughts. Whilst journeying to perfection, by night we
must go with our heads erect and our eyes turned to heaven, and by
day with our heads down and our eyes fixed upon the ground — that is,
when the soul finds herself in the night of tribulation and toil, she must
turn to God, and trust only in Him, resting and fixing all her thoughts
and affections in His providence. As to daytime — that is, during pros
perity — the soul must humble and annihilate herself so as to become
convinced of being a mere nothing and undeserving that God should so
long tolerate her upon the earth. The Nazarites also, like their king,
must often lift their hands up to heaven to receive the dew and refresh
themselves with it. For whilst we are in this miserable life, preparing
for the celestial and blessed one, we must elevate our soul to God by con
tinual meditation and contemplation, in which the intellect is enlight
ened, and the will is inflamed and made to burn with divine love. This
cools the fire of sensuality in the soul, and makes her fly up the road of
perfection, rendering sweet and palatable whatever bitterness may have
to be tasted for the love of her amiable Spouse, Jesus Crucified."

On the first day of Pentecost, 1 604, having been already alienated from
her senses for several hours, with the strongest enthusiasm of celestial
affection, among many and wonderful things, she said : " This Divine
vSpirit is love and asks for love, and rests not in those hearts that love
Him not, and do not love purely for God. . . . There are many souls
making nothing but little bundles of hay and straw. Few are they that
work precious stones and embrace strong columns. These bundles of
straw and hay are good for nothing except to burn ; and when burning,
they make a very light fire, which quickly disappears, leaving soot and
smoke, but the stones are of infinite value and enrich those who possess
them ; the columns support the high buildings and those who embrace
them. The bundles of straw indicate those persons who attend to the per
formance of many manual works with vanity and for human ends. . . .
There are many persons working all their lives, but, as they do not work
for God, they derive therefrom nothing more than a light splendor of
human glory, which soon passes away, leaving their hearts full of regret
and pain, and they find no reward for it in the next life. The Divine
Spirit rests but little in these persons ; but He comes down in great full
ness and rests in those souls that work precious stones of solid and real
virtues, of humility, despisement of self and everything created, poverty,
purity, and resignation of their will to God and the superiors. . . .
The souls embracing strong columns are governed by them, and their
edifice will never shake or fall ; for, when working for God with purity

2 14 THE UFE AND WORKS OF

of intention, neither tribulation, nor distress, nor any creature can ever
overthrow their constancy, as they are strengthened by the Divine Spirit
and their operations remain forever, because they are founded on the
Divine Truth." Turning to the novices when she was their mistress,
she used to say to them with great emphasis : " Do not make bundles of
straw, but enrich yourselves with these valuable stones, embrace the
strong pillars, if you wish the Divine Spirit to rest in you." And,
having been silent for a while, she added: " This Divine Love and pure
Spirit will not rest by any means in those souls that possess cutting
tongues, as He hates and very much abhors a backbiting tongue, and
departs and flees from it. It is true that this Divine Spirit comes down,
for, being communicative, He would like to give Himself to all ; but He
does not stop, not knowing where to rest. He rests for a moment in
those souls that make bundles of straw, but He does not stop at all where
there are cutting tongues." Here, with a louder voice, she would say:
" Harm not thy neighbor, as God commanded that we should love him
as ourselves, and it is too great an evil to touch him. He is the pupil
of God's eye; and the eye is so delicate an organ that the least wisp of
straw offends it. He who offends his neighbor offends God. Of the
neighbor's faults we cannot, we must not speak, except with the intention
of doing him good, and with those who can remedy the evil ; whatever
else is spoken of is murmuring. ... I would like to be able to go
throughout the whole world and get all the souls into my hands, and I
would exert myself so much with the divine help that I would root out all
these biting teeth. Ah ! if creatures could see and understand fully how
much God hates these tongues with teeth no one would be found that
would dare to murmur. If God hates murmuring in every creature, He
cannot, He will not, tolerate it at all in the Religious and Spouses con
secrated to Him. Some Religions (Religious Orders) are like well-cul
tivated gardens decked out with beautiful trees, odoriferous flowers, and
leafy plants, on account of the exact observance and the beautiful order
that are found therein. Other Religious Orders are like ugly forests
compared to the former, because in them there is no order of religious
observance; nevertheless, in these the Divine Spirit rests a little, as
there are no murmuring tongues there; and, on the contrary, He comes
to the others and passes on without stopping, because the spirit of
hypocrisy which dominates them, rather than truth, leads them fre
quently to the vice of backbiting. But woe, woe to them" (she used
to say still louder) "because God will permit the light they possess to be
turned into darkness, if they do not pull out these teeth, and He will
give His light to other Religions. O perverse tongues, what wonder of
iniquity are you, that you suffice to overthrow all the good of a Religion !
O my souls" (she used also to say to the novices) "beware of putting on
these teeth, and thank Divine Goodness that at present not one among
you is stained with this vice." Progressing with her deep contemplation,
the Saint so penetrated the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity that, over
come by feelings of amazement, she was wont to repeat: " Incompre
hensible God! . . . eternal is Thy greatness, . . . ineffable is Thy
goodness. ... I see, and I see with complacency, the three Divine
Persons imparting to one another their divine influxes in an ineffable

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

and inscrutable manner. The Father flows into the Son, the Son into
the Father, and the Father and the Son into the Holy Ghost ; the Holy
Ghost flows in a manner which it is impossible for us to understand.
Eternal God, Thou art ineffably good ; and, by Thy goodness, Thou dost
impart to the creature immersed in the knowledge of her nothingness some
knowledge of Thy eternal being ; but, even granted that this communi
cation is wonderful, yet it may be said with truth that it is as a mere
no thing compared to that which passes bet ween God and His creature. . . .
The three Divine Persons communicate their divine influxes to all the
blessed in heaven ; and the blessed return their influxes into the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost, with their praise and thanksgiving, mag
nifying, blessing, and exalting continually and without ceasing the Most
Holy Trinity. The three Divine Persons communicate their influxes
also to the creatures of this world, and the Word Incarnate does it by
sending gifts and graces to them, that they may so dispose themselves
that all the Most Holy Trinity may be well pleased in them. ... I see
the Father aspiring to the salvation of the same creatures ; I see the Son
breathing in them, and the Holy Ghost inspiring the aspiration of the
Father, which is like an ardent wish for the salvation of creatures. The
breathing of the Son is like a rest He takes in the soul, making the
creature look up to God the Father. The inspiration of the Holy Ghost
is like the enlightening which He gives that the soul may go on from
virtue to virtue till Deus deorum in Sion may be seen. This is the
wonderful work the Most Holy Trinity continually performs in the
creature. . . . The Most Holy Trinity communicates its influx in a most
special manner to the Religious, but in so different a manner that I feel
amazed at it, because some receive more and some less, and with such a
difference between one and the other that I would never have thought it to
be so." Being filled with this feeling of wonder, it seemed to her as if she
saw the soul of a Religious not receiving these divine influxes, having
rendered herself unworthy of them by being willing to remain in mortal
sin. Therefore, many devils bound her with horrible chains, and, with
insults and contempt, led her to the place of eternal torments ; at which
sight Mary Magdalen wept for grief, sighed with convulsive agitation,
and, emitting plaintive and strong cries, said : " Unhappy soul, and who
would have believed it that thou with obstinate will wouldst not only
live, but also die, in mortal sin ! " She was so frightened at it that for
two whole days she was in great anguish and terror. Finally she under
stood that the devils acquire great power over those Religious who
through their own fault do not receive these influxes, thereby becoming
a source of great scandal in their Congregation and of serious ruin to it.
As God for the sake of a good person sends many favors to a place, so
also, on account of a bad person, He permits many evils and losses to
befall another place. Hence she recommended the most rigid perspicuity
when it was a question of admitting a person to the religious state, and
that all possible zeal and care should be used to lead such person rightly
to the road of perfection. When God calls anyone to Religion, He desires
that, in saving and perfecting his own soul, others also may be led to
the haven of salvation, both by example and exhortations.

2l6

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XXX.

OF HER SPECIAL GIFT OF PENETRATING THE HEART OF THE
SISTERS COMMITTED TO HER CARE.

»D assisted Mary Magdalen with a gift which helped her
very much in the various and wonderful ways she employed
in the spiritual direction of her subjects, which have been
described more at length than it was at first intended in the
preceding chapter. This gift consisted in enabling her to
penetrate the secrets of others' spirits, which we have already
seen manifesting itself in several cases. We will here relate
in particular those which came under the observation of her
young girls and novices, and which have been by them testified to in
the processes.

One day whilst Mary Magdalen was at work with her novices, she
saw in the heart of one of them a fault or imperfection which was greatly
displeasing to God, and of which the novice having no knowledge had
not spoken to the mother or the others. She saw that such a fault was
rooted in the heart of that girl like a juniper tree (so it presented itself to
the imagination of Mary Magdalen), and she said that the Guardian
Angel of this novice was trying to uproot it from her heart, but could
not succeed, as some devils prevented him. Hence the holy mother,
enkindled with zeal, arose suddenly from her seat, and, taking the novice
by the arm, led her to the oratory of the novitiate, and there, being rapt
in ecstasy, began to strike her with the discipline, so as to humble her
spirit rather than inflict pain on her body, saying at the same time to the
devils: "Depart from her, ye evil ones, and leave this soul." The
novice, between the surprise and the humiliation, burst into tears, and
the mother, having known her to be well disposed towards docility,
manifested to her the fault which had taken root in her interior, and
thus enlightening her wrought also her amendment.

Another novice had kept a temptation for five months hidden in
her heart and would not confess it. God manifested it to our holy
mistress, who, calling the novice to her and reprimanding her, spoke
openly to her concerning her temptation. She then impressively told
her to beware in future lest she should keep anything hidden, and to
consider it a strict obligation to confess to the mistress whatever passed
through her mind.

She obtains from God that the spoiled wine in a keg in the
monastery become good (page 158).

216

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

One evening, whilst reciting compline in the choir, another of her
disciples was troubled by strong temptations against her own vocation.
The Saint, whose place it was then to sprinkle the sisters with holy
water, when she turned to bless this young lady, made all temptations
disappear from her troubled soul, leaving her in the most complete tran
quillity. The young lady being amazed at this sudden result, and
believing at the same time that the Saint had been the benign cause of
it, asked her for an explanation, and Mary Magdalen answered that
Jesus Christ had truly manifested to her the agitation of her heart, and
that in blessing her, she prayed to God that He might deliver her from
those temptations.

The mistress of the young girls had a disciple who was very much
afflicted ; and being unable to find any way of giving her rest, she
recommended her one day to the charity of our Saint, then mistress of
novices, that she might help her to that end. Whilst Mary Magdalen
was lending herself to the charitable office with all the zeal of which she
was capable, one of her novices having come to speak to her, and being
unable to do so, murmured within herself, without giving any exterior
sign of it, these words of impatience: " It is not enough for that girl to
have her own mistress, but she must come and take ours away." The
Saint, who, on coming out of the young girl's cell, found her own novice
on the threshold, reproached her for this murmuring, and added :
" When thou shalt be afflicted and tempted, I shall help thee, too, even
though I shall not then be thy mother mistress." Hence, the novice,
full of confusion, humbly and sincerely begged forgiveness from so
zealous and enlightened a mistress.

The sense of pride was troubling the spirit of one of her novices,
and, what is worse, she studied very carefully to hide it. One morning,
when she was about entering the choir, Magdalen said : "Ave Maria"—
this being the usual answer of respect and devotion when anyone was
called. This novice who was near her, said : " Mother mistress, nobody
calls thee." To this, «the Saint answered: "Come with me." And,
having led her apart, she bitterly reprimanded her for permitting herself
to be so much troubled by pride, adding that St. Catherine of Siena had
suggested to her not to let her come into the choir whilst she remained
in so improper a disposition, without first imposing a penance on her;
which having been done by the mother, the novice humbled herself, and
in the future did all she could in order to be ingenuous and tranquil.

One of her disciples, whilst reciting the Divine Office with her,
was assailed by strange thoughts and temptations; but all this was
interior, and she gave no exterior sign of it. Nevertheless, the Saint
knew it, and, fixing her eyes upon her, said to her rather severely : " When
'done with this office, we shall have to call the chapter;" and, in fact,
she made her afterwards humble herself in the presence of the other
novices, manifesting how, not without some fault, she had had her
attention distracted from the Divine Office.

A novice was doing what the Saint had imposed on her through
obedience, which was to draw daily some pails of water from the well.
She thought one day that it would be better to pour out that water into
the trough, to be used to water the orchard ; but, without following this

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

contrary thought, she did her duty as usual. Having returned to the
novitiate, the Saint asked her immediately whether she had done her
duty, alluding to obedience, and on the novice's answering Yes, the mother
added : " It would have been better to throw the water into the trough.
Is it not true?" The novice blushed like a child caught in a fault,
and, bowing her head, confessed her thought. Then Mary Magdalen
told her to learn blind obedience, which leaves no room for human
prudence. It is not the deed which gives value to obedience ; but it is
obedience itself which raises any work to a degree of sovereign value,
though the work may be of the humblest and even opposed to reason.

It also happened to this novice that out of her own caprice, without
consulting anybody, she girded her body with a knotty rope. A few days
after she had first worn it, the Saint one evening went to her bedside
and frankly told her : " Sister, see what thou dost, as thou dost not do
the will of God. " The novice, not understanding what the holy mistress
meant, answered with an air of surprise : " What dost thou speak of? "
And the mother : " Of that rope which thou wearest ; take it off and
give it to me." The novice obeyed and thanked God who gave so much
light to the directress of her spirit.

Another novice entertained some feelings of contempt (without ever
having given any exterior- sign thereof) against one of her companions
who appeared to her faulty in manners and disposition. The Saint having
perceived this, said to her unexpectedly : "My sister, if that companion
of thine does not possess all the exterior qualities thou thinkest she should
possess — ^Ipse fecit nos, et non ipsi nos^ — l He made us, and not we our
selves' (Ps. xcix, 3). God made us and formed us according to His
liking, and we are not our own makers, that we may be reproached for
having one nature rather than another." Through these words the
novice corrected her own moral fault, shutting her eyes to the innocent
faults of her companion, and opening her heart to an affectionate esteem
for her.

A nun of Sister Mary Magdalen's monastery 'was troubled interiorly
by a serious thought and lacked the courage to manifest it to anybody,
only praying God with constant fervor that He might vouchsafe to
deliver her from it. One day the Saint, being in ecstasy, said to this
sister: " Jesus intends to grant thee the grace thou desirest." A few
days afterwards meeting her in a corridor, the Saint called her aside and
said to her : ( ( The thing thou askest of God is this "... (manifesting
to her exactly the hidden thought which tormented her) ; . . . u but thou
placest this impediment" . . . (which also was by the Saint manifested).
The nun acknowledged the truth of all, removed the obstacle, and
obtained the grace so much wished for.

On account of the narrowness of the choir, the novices were com
pelled to remain out of it. One day one of them felt a great desire to
enter it to recite the office with the nuns ; but she dared not speak of it
to anyone. The Saint saw in spirit the desire of this young girl; and
being in the choir, left her place, went to her, and led her to the choir,
where she remained to her great delight and wondering how the mother
could have come to the knowledge of her hidden wish.

At another time it happened that this same sister having to assist

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 319

the holy mother in her last sickness, was unwilling to do it, fearing
that death might overtake her whilst she was alone with her at that
moment. With this fear wholly interior she went to the bedside of the
Saint, who immediately uttered these words, which at once show the
gift of prophecy and that of searching hearts, with which she was
endowed: "Sister Angela Catherine" (said she to this sister, whose
name was such), "come cheerfully along; for when I shall die, all the
nuns will be present. n So in fact it happened at the time when the
happy passage of our glorious mother took place.

What she chiefly discerned, however, in the interior of others, was
whether anyone humbled herself truly or not ; hence, no matter how
much one tried to simulate the interior disposition, the venerable mother
was never deceived, neither did she rest satisfied with exterior humilia
tions. To one who through human respect had asked her to impose
some such mortification upon her, she said that God does not value those
sacrifices, but rather prefers purity of heart and rectitude of intention.
Another who under the appearance of humility came to her to justify
herself by blaming a companion, she no sooner saw than she said to her
these plain words : " Sister, if thou art silent with thy mouth, be also
silent with thy heart ; and keep to thyself what thou wishest to say to
me." The evidence of these facts dispenses us from further demonstrat
ing to what a degree God enlightened the mind of Mary Magdalen. It
gives us also an idea of how much the young girls committed to her
care, being continually called to keep a strict watch over their hearts,
could profit in regard to their spiritual perfection and eternal salvation.

22O

THE LJFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XXXL

WHAT RESPECTFUL AND BENEFICENT CHARITY MARY MAGDALEN
HAD FOR HER NEIGHBOR.

\OMINIS officium est homini cuivis benefacere — "It is man's
own duty to do good to every man," said Terence. " Beware
of doing to others what thou wishest not done to thee,"
said Aristotle. " Respect thy image in thy neighbor ; by
injuring it, thou injurest thyself," thus said Cato. " No
body does harm to himself by benefiting others," thus said
Seneca. And many others, though idolaters, used the same
language about the duties we owe to our neighbor. Truth
has said : '''•What thou wouldst that men do to thee, do thou, to them like-
wise " (Matth. vii, 1 2). This truth is the light infused by the Creator into
the soul of the first man, that he and his descendants, united to God by
charity, might partake in this life of that peace and most perfect beatitude
to which they were destined in the next. Adam's error, which threw all
mankind into the vile slavery of the rebellious passions, made of this
world a theatre of enormous crimes, of guilty machinations, of secret
calumnies, of invectives, and all sorts of injustice. Human legislation
to check this sad overflowing of evils used all kinds of remedies and
punishments. With these cooperated the religious ideas of pagans,
which, though false, still had as a principal aim the union of the
people in one thought and affection. Moses, the first lawgiver of the
chosen people, in the love of God and of our neighbor includes all the
precepts of his tables. Jesus Christ, who from the highest heavens
came down on earth to rekindle and revive this flame of charity which
was nearly extinguished in men's hearts, reduced all the laws, the
prophets, the sacrifices, the worships, and, I will say it, for the
greater part even the love of God to the love of our neighbor.
According to the spirit of the Gospel, the love of God is the
word of the heart cultivated interiorly, and the love of our neighbor
is the complete realization of the social actions, embracing and in
cluding all the virtues and all the duties, and touching all the points
of every perfection. He who says that he loves God and yet entertains
hatred against his neighbor is a liar. He who may even spend all the
hours of his life in penance and prayer, in works of divine worship, and
loves not his neighbor, is a hypocrite, a Pharisee; ^ For" thus argues
the Apostle St. John, ^he who loves not his brother whom he seeth,

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI. 221

how can he love God, whom he seeth not?" (i John iv, 20). Like God's
precepts, so, also, those of the Church are but means to lead us to the
most noble end of fraternal benevolence. " Go," said Jesus Christ to the
Apostles, "and announce to the whole world the gospel, the good news,
the universal peace, the reunion of all the members to their one only
Head ! " Choosing Peter to preside over the rest, he only inquired about
his charity, of which being assured, He concluded: "Feed My sheep"
(John xxi, 17). The Holy Ghost dwelling in the heart of the Apostles
so diffused charity therein, that thenceforth they lived but for the benefit
of their brethren. The image of God, equally imprinted in every human
creature, is the most powerful motive which should induce us to love,
benefit, and help everybody as much as we can. It not only checks all
positively contrary feelings, but also that voracious self-love; and, to use
the word now mostly in vogue, that cruel egotism which, whilst wishing
that everything should serve to its comfort, extinguishes in the heart the
sacred sparks of compassionating charity, and hardens and closes the
heart, so that the love of our neighbor has no place therein. Having
laid down these premises, already mentioned elsewhere but never suf
ficiently repeated, let us in this chapter look in particular to the acts
practiced by Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi in behalf of her neighbors, listen
ing in the meantime to the voice of nature, which, by the regeneration
of Jesus Christ, calls strongly upon us to embrace as brothers all people
and all nations.

St. Mary Magdalen being in the habit of writing down all the acts
of virtue in the practice of which she felt greater interest and zeal,
among those of charity towards her neighbor, we find the following :
" To incline the will to love the creature simply because God loves her,
and to rejoice in the love which He bears to her, and in the perfection
which He communicates to her." In speaking thus, she manifested the
purity of this sentiment : " Even granted (which cannot be) that God
Himself wanted to permit our neighbor to offend us and cause us grief,
nevertheless we must wish our neighbor all the perfection and glory of
the seraphim, even if he were to employ it against us." And again:
" If God were pleased, and it would redound to His glory, that I should
be troubled by a creature having the talents of the seraphim, still I must
and will wish her to possess those talents, though they are to be spent
to offend me, in order to give delight and glory to God." To this alter
nate passing from the love of God to that of her neighbor, and from the
latter to the former, her most profound humility was not a stranger, as
she sometimes said that she wished more good to her neighbor than to
herself, thinking that her neighbor would be more thankful to God for it,
and would derive more benefit therefrom than herself.

Whilst contemplating one day the grace of God under the image of
a fount, she, in the effervescence of her spirit, saw many souls around this
fount like many little lambs, and, being overtaken by the desire that all
of them should dip in that fount to taste its celestial sweetness, she
continued, saying with animated words : " I would like to dip therein
all those souls one by one." As if in the act of seeing some of them dip
ping themselves into the fount, she added with great joy: " O my Jesus,
they do very well."

222 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

During the five years of her probation whilst God had deprived her
of all spiritual taste, she compensated herself for this privation by
wishing the greatest possible good to her neighbor. This she herself
said during the last eight days of her ecstasy before she entered that hor
rible and long trial : u I shall stay there in a little corner " (she said in
a low and very submissive voice) " looking at all the other Brides, my
companions, having myself nothing to taste ; but I shall do, Eternal
Word, like those little 'infants Thou hast taken up to Thyself (viz.,
those children who die after baptism before reaching the use of reason),
" who, though they possess not that fullness of glory which they see
many other Saints possessing, nevertheless are satisfied with what they
have ; or else I will think that I, too, possess all those things that others
possess ; and though I shall not taste them, yet charity, which makes
things common to all, will make me taste even while not tasting them,
as if sharing in others' taste. "

Her companions of the monastery testified to having witnessed
many a time the excessive joy by which Mary Magdalen was transported
at seeing souls favored by God with graces and celestial gifts. As to
the gifts with which God favored her, she not only wished but also tried
with utmost industry to communicate them to others. This she did on
all occasions, but especially, as we have already seen, during the time that
she had charge of the novices and young ladies of the monastery. She
received no spiritual light which she did not try to communicate — now
by example, now by words, in which way, while in ecstasy, she was
sometimes forced by the Spirit of God to manifest the treasures of her
heart more than she would have done of her own will. This happened
particularly the third night of Pentecost, during the already recorded
ecstasy of eight continuous days, whilst penetrating with her thoughts
into the humanity of the Word and contemplating it under the symbol
of a most charming garden. She said that on the feet of Jesus she
found flowers, in His hands fruits and jewels, and in His heart darts of
love in great abundance. Then, fixing her admiring gaze on the sacred
feet, she said: u He that wants to find many bouquets of flowers and
lilies let him come here, as he can gather baskets of them around the
feet of my Spouse. " And, with boundless love, she added : u I would
like with these flowers to make garlands and place them on the heads of
Thy Brides, but I will make a little bundle of them, and give them to
Mary to preserve them." Contemplating the left hand, she spoke thus :
" These fruits which I draw from the left hand, O Word, I would like
to have not only for myself, but I aspire to communicate them also
to the whole world." At the right hand, she continued: 4'From this
right hand of thine, O Word, I will gather all the precious gems that I
shall find therein, which my soul wishes to communicate to every
creature." Of the darts of love she found in the Sacred Side, deeming
herself unable to bear them, she only said, exclaiming : " O Heart, O Side
of the Eternal Word Incarnate, one cannot correspond to so great an
influence of Thine. Thou dartest too much, one cannot bear it ; great
assistance is needed to correspond to and keep so many darts." On the
second day of this same ecstasy, she also gave a sign of this desire of
communicating every good to the souls; whilst contemplating the grace

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 223

of the Holy Ghost under the image of water, she uttered these words :
" O Precious Water ; oh ! if one could become a fountain of it through
charity ! Oh, if one could communicate it and scatter it through the
whole world, and become a fountain of it and a river so large and
swift that it would carry and draw along, as if to the sea, all the
souls to eternal life ! " Many other things she added, by which she
gave to understand how ardently she wished that the Holy Ghost would
be diffused by His grace through the hearts of all creatures. She also
manifested the same desire coupled with grief at seeing the souls remain
ing deprived of the grace of God.

In another ecstasy, understanding how the Divine Spirit wanted to
depart from some souls on account of their ingratitude, she felt for them
so much affliction and anguish that she became pale, as if mortally
wounded, and gave vent to expressions of the deepest bitterness. Then,
to appease God and move Him to pity, she formed some most devout
prayers upon these words : "Protector noster, aspice Dens ; et re spice in
faciem Christi tui"-— " Look, O Lord, our Protector; look upon the face
of Thy Christ;" as if taking for an Intercessor the wounded and bloody
face of her beloved Jesus. Among her morning protestations there was
this also, that she wanted to suffer any extreme suffering rather than
prevent her neighbor's attaining some greater spiritual good.

But the most conspicuous mark of heavenly and wonderful truth
in the life of Mary Magdalen appears from her enjoyment of so
many contemplations, ecstasies, and excesses of love and her per
formance of so many charitable actions for which she was always
ready, and which were so easy to her. Her contemplative method
causes us immediately to liken her to the Magdalen of the Divine
Master, who, finding her delight in sitting at His sacred feet, was
leaving to her sister all the care of earthly things. The activity,
the solicitude, the affection with which our Saint lent herself to all
works of charity convince us likewise that she, in choosing the best
part, neglected in no way to imitate in some manner the busying of
Martha for the social conveniences of human life. For, besides the
spiritual charities of consoling the afflicted and sad ones, encouraging
the tempted and the faint-hearted, there was no work done in the monas
tery, to which, as far as obedience permitted her, she did not put her
hand. She wanted to partake of all the labors of either veiled or lay
sisters. The sisters endeavored to hide their needs from her, as they
knew it was impossible for her to abstain from coming in some manner
to their relief, at the cost of any sacrifice. Besides the offices she filled
in the Order, frequently she would go to the kitchen to help in the
laborious duties of the cooks — now carrying wood, now drawing wateY,
now cleaning and putting away the kitchen utensils and crockery;
sometimes waiting on the table, sweeping the cells, washing, making
bread and carrying it to the oven, or doing other similar work, to which
not by obedience, but by charity alone she was drawn. Thus volun
tarily helping a lay-sister for six years to bake, she arose before the
usual time, heated the water, and commenced to work at the flour. In
carrying the bread to the oven upon a board, she would go as quickly as
possible, so that the greatest share of the work would be hers. For the

224 TRE LIFE AND WORKS OF

washing of the community, she arose before the lay-sisters, filled the
cauldrons with water, gathered the wood, built the fire, and commenced
to wash ; so that when the others appeared, she had already finished a
great deal of work. She would sometimes stay washing linens for five
or six hours in the night, that she might not be seen so assiduously at
work in the day-time, and that she might during the day perform other
labors, according to her various duties. Whilst she was mistress of
novices, she sent them through the monastery to look after soiled
linens; and having gotten them, she washed them in the night-time,
the more to lessen the work of others. Suffice it to say that by reason
of this constant occupation at washing, a bone of her right hand became
dislocated. O God ! what a cause for wonder, shame, and confusion
for us to see a noble young lady, delicate, innocent, who overcoming her
own weak constitution, is willing to lay down her very life for the love
of her neighbors. If any lay-sister out of dutiful respect refused to be
assisted in her work by Magdalen, the latter would beg her in such a
pressing manner that she was forced to let her help her. " Deprive me
not, sister" (the Saint would say), "of the merit of this work; let me do
it ; thou shalt do something else for me. It is better that we should
labor in doing work one for the other, than that one should work for
herself alone; as in working for one's self there is self-love, and in
working for others there is charity."

When by reason of some occupation she could not be present to
work with the lay-sisters, if any spare time was left her, she would
immediately go to their cells to sweep and to make their beds, saying
afterwards: " I wish those poor sisters, after they have done their work,
to have rest." It being the duty of a lay-sister to call the nuns to
matins, she asked her the favor (with the permission of the superioress)
to attend to this alternately with her, one week each. She having
obtained permission, and having attended to it for some time, the lay-
sister took sick, and Mary Magdalen continued alone for fifteen years to
call up the nuns every night for matins. When the needs of the monas
tery required something to be done which few knew how to do, she
herself tried with the greatest care to learn how to do it, in order to
help those who were doing it, and that the monastery might not be
deprived of any assistance she could possibly give it, as every Religious
is bound to do. She was wont to say that she looked upon that day as
lost in which she had not done some act of charity towards her neigh
bor. But, in truth, not one such loss can be counted during her whole
life. The occasions for being charitable in the community life are
most frequent; and Mary Magdalen, far from passing them by, hunted
them up with great diligence, and she wanted to embrace them all.
Sometimes, though very tired from having done some hard work, if
occasion offered itself, without showing that she was tired, she seized it
as if she were just then commencing her day's work ; and being some
times asked by some sister to take rest, or questioned as to how she

could endure so much, she answered : " My body is like that of an ass

I suffer nothing ;" or else : " This body of mine is like that of a little
donkey, and must carry its load day and night, and must not be given
any Test." At the same time, through humility, she added that she was

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 225

good for nothing, that she knew not how to pray, and that in order that
she might not become useless to the Order, she had to occupy herself
about these exterior exercises. But the fact was that she exerted herself
so indefatigably in behalf of her neighbor, not so much on account of
her special virtue, as in order to fulfill the Rule given her by her Divine
Spouse, in which He commanded her to thirst, as the deer for water,
after the exercise of charity towards her neighbor at all times, without
any greater consideration for the weakness and fatigue of her body than
for the dust which is trampled upon.

So did our heroine work, that the sisters bore testimony that her
labors were equivalent to those of four lay-sisters. Because of this, there
being no necessity which she did not run to satisfy, no sister whom she
did not benefit, she was styled the Mother of Charity and the Charity of
the Monastery. Hence, the nuns felt constant admiration for her, for
they could not help regarding as a supernatural gift both this over-exertion
of Magdalen, with her weak constitution and all her fasts and penances,
and the perfect manner in which she attended to one office and the other,
as if she were entirely contemplative or wholly active. In the exterior
works they would see her always fixed in God, even so as to remain
ecstatic some time ; and in the interior acts she was never forgetful of the
needs of her neighbor; nay, many times it happened, especially when she
had charge of the novices, that during the ecstasy itself she performed
works of charity, and told others to do what she herself could not
then do. As during the days of great solemnities she would generally be
rapt in ecstasy, she, in the care and prudence of her charity, antici
pated those days, giving orders to the teacher or the senior of the
novices for the performance of those works of charity that she herself
had been accustomed to perform for the novices, or the sick sisters, or
others in need. When that hour came, though she might be in the
height of her ecstasy, she reminded them*of what she had ordered, and
requested its being done. But the manner, the intensity, the fervor of her
attendance upon the sick, carried her to such excesses that they seem
almost incredible. If one of the sisters became sick, she tried to be the
first one to visit her, offering her services. According to the gravity of
the illness and the disposition of the sick, day and night Mary Magdalen
made and repeated her visits. She also studied to anticipate the needs
of others, and then she informed the superioress or the officer that these
might be provided for, as opportunity permitted. She compassionated
so much the pains of corporal sickness in anybody, that she prayed to
God rather to send them to herself. Several times she was heard to say
to some patient : "I wish I could steal these pains from thee." And
the patient answering her with the like charity that she would not wish
her to suffer them in the least, Mary Magdalen replied : u My constitu
tion is more robust than thine, and I would not feel them so much."
With those who on account of sickness felt a dislike for food, she
employed all the art that a tender mother employs with her child when
it refuses to eat. If there was any sister wrho had by order of the physi
cians to take medicine at inconvenient hours of the night, requiring the
nurse, Mary Magdalen offered herself for this office, in order to save
trouble to others, and to make her act more sincere and acceptable.

226 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

Knowing that one was short or in need of something, she deprived her
self of it, if she had it, or procured it elsewhere. This she did especially
when some of the sisters were convalescent in the infirmary, so that they
would not need to be too solicitous for themselves, to the detriment both
of their bodies and of their souls. The least thing that might be of
some benefit to the sick did not escape her attention. Sometimes,
having scarcely come out of a rapture, she would be seen running to the
bedside of some sick nun, as if that were her only thought, and as if in
atonement for having been detained a little. Such was the satisfaction
of her heart in doing these things, that she used to say there was
no office in Religion she wished so much as that of nurse ; and at the
mere thought of it she rejoiced immensely. Sometimes she talked
about what she would do for the sick ; and seeing herself incapacitated
from doing it by her other offices, she felt ineffable grief thereat, without
losing a moment in exerting herself in every way she could. This charity
of hers was unalterably the same for all, the same in all circumstances,
always disinterested and always practiced simply for the love of God.
Nothing did she wish but the glory of God, the temporal and eternal
happiness of her neighbors ; seeing in these but brothers and sisters,
all children of the same Father, all belonging to the same family, all
redeemed from perdition by the same Redeemer, all called to the same
everlasting beatitude. She saw the image of the Divine Creator clearly
imprinted on the forehead of the rich as well as of the poor, of the superior
as well as of the subject, of the learned as well as of the ignorant. No
matter how faulty or even loaded with sins one might be, the noble and
generous sentiment of Magdalen for such did not diminish. In serving
her neighbor she thought that she was serving God Himself; and her
nuns in particular she regarded as daughters of the Eternal Father, as
Brides of the Word, as temples of the Holy Ghost, or as sisters of the
Angels ; or else she considered the love with which God had loved and
was still loving them, and in this consideration she enkindled within
herself such a fire of charity that she said: u I would undertake to bear
anything for my neighbor, and especially to obtain rest and consolation
for a soul ; as a restless heart gives not true rest to God in itself; and I
wish for nothing except to give to God His own creatures.'* These
same reflections she suggested to her nuns, saying to them: " You
ought to consider yourselves unworthy, and regard it as a great favor,
to serve souls that are the tabernacles of the Holy Ghost."

We have already seen that she did not neglect the least opportunity
of leading her subjects to practices of charity. When her parents sent
anything which she deemed of some use to the sick or the convalescent,
with the permission of the superioress, she brought it to them, but as
the property of the Religion, for in her modesty she did not wish to ap
pear as if making a present, that the sisters might not have to consider
themselves doubly obliged to her. By the intensity of her love for this
exercise of serving the sick, once she said that, though she was perfectly
satisfied with the state in which God had placed her, yet she would have
regarded it as the greatest grace if God had wanted her to be a servant in a
hospital. * * I would like," she said, " to render there to the sick all service
possible, as I see that I do not know how to draw souls to the knowledge

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 22 J

of the love of God, neither do I deserve to lead them to it, which is
what would mostly please me. But if I were employed in a hospital, at
least I would serve their bodies."

Besides the general services and the charity thus far related, she
took upon herself the office of assisting particularly some sick sisters,
among whom were two lay-sisters, one named Sister Charity and the other
Sister Mattea. The first of these was blind and affected with phthisis.
For the whole year during which she kept her bed, Mary Magdalen
waited on her with tireless attention, changing her clothing and assisting
her in all her necessities, which are so frequent and hard to satisfy in an
unhappy blind and sick person. On being asked by the superioress
why she was so solicitous for this lay-sister, she answered that Jesus had
shown Himself to her as poor, and had told her that if she wanted to do
a thing pleasing to Him, she should serve Him in the person of that sick
Bride of His. The other lay-sister, Sister Mattea, had a sore on her
right limb, from which issued vermin and corruption with such a stench
that it was necessary to keep her in a room apart from the rest. Mary
Magdalen attended to this sore, applying the remedies to it and cleaning
it from the vermin and corruption and the like, which is far from pleasing
to the human stomach. But all this was not sufficient to satisfy the
ardent charity of our Saint, as she went so far that, through humility and
for her greater mortification, several times she 'put her lips to the sore,
as if to draw the disease all to herself. This, with tears of tenderness
and confusion, was related by the patient herself to the mother prioress,
Sister Vangelista del Giocondo. With Sisters Barbara Bassi and Benigna
Orlandini, Mary Magdalen acted likewise ; as, after the most loving care
bestowed upon them to relieve them of their sickness, she also licked
their limbs which were affected by contagious and offensive diseases, the
heroism of which action was followed by the miraculous cure of both
these sisters.

During the gravity of the disease, when the patient was in danger
of her life, Mary Magdalen redoubled her care. If necessary, she watched
several consecutive nights at the bedside of the sick, without taking the
least rest ; and if, being overtired, she took a little rest, it was on a chair,
not on the straw-bed. By the bedside of one of the above-mentioned
lay-sisters, she stood watching continuously for ten consecutive days and
nights, and fifteen by the bedside of the other.

But it is impossible to tell how ardent her charity became on the
approach of the last moment of some sister. It is not necessary to
repeat that the chief aim of her charity always was the glory of God
and the salvation of souls ; so that the arguments most calculated to
strengthen and sanctify the spirit were brought forward by her at all
times and with all persons, more than those which had only reference to
this material life. Whilst at the bedside of a dying person, she deemed
it a grievous sin to lose a single minute. The importance of the passage
from time to eternity, the life of a God immolated for all the souls and
for each of them in particular, the severity of a judgment without appeal,
were subjects which left not Mary Magdalen enough strength to do all
she wished to do in behalf of the agonizing ones. She wanted always
to be present at the passing away of the sisters of her monastery. And,

228 THE LIFE AND WORKS OK

being present, now she read the Recommendation of the Soul, now the
Passio, or the psalms or other devout prayers, now she spoke about God
and induced the dying nun to make acts of contrition, of love, of hope,
of faith, and especially of resignation to the Divine Will, making a
virtuous sacrifice of what necessarily must return to the nullity of its
origin. In so doing, it happened that while alleviating as far as pos
sible the horrible but inevitable anguish consequent on the separation
of the soul from the body, her charity was so efficacious that the agonizing
one with these consolations expired, not sadly but with calm trust in the
arms of the Lord ; and her companions were so edified by her death
that every one of them wished to have Mother Mary Magdalen to assist
at their last hours, deeming that blessed were those who expired in
her arms. Even to the corpse of a deceased she showed those regards
that her highly merciful heart knew how to suggest to her. She did
not leave it until it was buried ; and, in the meantime, she prayed to
God for that soul in the most fervent manner ; and whilst doing that,
being nearly always rapt in ecstasy, she came to know, supernaturally,
the state of the souls for whom she was interceding ; and, seeing them
in purgatory, besides the prayers, the fasts, the disciplines, and other
penances she practiced for them, she offered herself to God, and asked of
Him that she might surfer for them in her body as many torments as
would be equivalent to the sufferings they were to undergo. This God
several times granted to her; so that, in consequence of it, for many days
she endured such pains in her limbs as if they had been lacerated by
dogs or bitten by serpents. Afterwards she was consoled by the sight
of those same souls that, thanks to these satisfactory sufferings of hers,
were passing joyfully and happily to the possession of the everlasting
good.

This great charity of our Saint was accompanied by, or rather took
strength chiefly from the high opinion and esteem that she entertained
of all, as she always thought more of the spirit than of the flesh, and all
reasoning creatures she called by the name of souls. Of everyone she
was wont to speak with reverence and affection, and never did the least
word that might be offensive to her neighbor escape her lips ; aiid, save
the corrections she was obliged to make with her subjects whilst in
office, she always excused the faults and failings of others, and advised
that as little as possible should be said of them, "because" (she used
to say) "as glass which is handled without care is easily broken, so, also,
our neighbor, being too much on our lips, is easily offended." When
called to the parlor grates to see some outsiders, she would go and re
main there with so much modesty and reverence, and show so much
respect for everyone, that they would part from her very much edified
and happy. The domestic intercourse with her nuns was a continuous
exercise of charity and humility. The spiritually important titles by
which she called them showed in what esteem she held them, and with
what dignity she deemed their souls clothed as Brides-elect of Jesus.
She considered herself unworthy to dwell with them, and she was fre
quently seen to kiss the ground on which they had stood, and to honor
them in many other respectful ways, as we shall see in speaking of her
humility in particular.

Burning exceedingly with divine love, now she refreshed her breast

with cool water, and now she ran through the monastery,

Crucifix in hand (page 162).

228

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 229

It is useless to say that the spirit of contention, opposition, and
domineering was not in her at all ; and if, on finding fault with any of
her disciples, she was answered with some indocility, she deferred the
making of the correction until a more suitable time, cutting off for the
present every cause of opposition. Thus envy, rancor, and the like fatal
enemies of human tranquillity were wholly unknown to the heart of
Mary Magdalen. When she met a nun or a lay-sister in the monastery,
she was the first to salute her with a modest and ingenuously cheerful
countenance. As to the superiors and the seniors, she always met them
with that demeanor that one would wish to see in a novice on the first
day of her entering Religion. She called prelates and priests God's
christs, looking upon them as the representatives of God Himself, and
'she could not endure that the sisters should speak of them, even when
the least occasion was given, with levity or disrespect. She always re
mained on her knees before them until they ordered her to arise. But
these were marks of exterior respect ; as to the esteem and love of her
heart, they embraced in like manner the highest and the humblest of
them. Finally, we must remark that many a time she postponed her
spiritual exercises, most sweet though they were on account of the special
favors of Heaven, in order to assist her neighbor in his needs, saying that
she most cheerfully left God for God, viz., that as no one could see God
in this mortal life, love for Him can best be shown by charity towards
our brethren, so that the highest excesses of divine love in the Saints
were rather consequences or rewards of perfect fraternal charity.

To conclude so important a subject, let us beware of following those
who are pleased to consider mankind like a herd of shrewd or foolish
beasts, born only to feed, beget, move about, and return into dust. Let
us rather learn and practice the maxim of fraternal charity — pure,
universal, without distinction of persons — so clearly and strictly com
manded us, even from the day when, as the Apostle says, the benignity
and charity of our Lord and Saviour appeared, and afterwards practiced
after this Divine Model by persons like ourselves, who, sanctifying their
own lives, deserved so well of society. Let us render to each other the
justice of love, esteem, and beneficence, so that prayer, fasting, the
Church, and all the practices of Religion may not become illusory, because
not corresponding to the spirit from which they are supposed to pro
ceed. As doing good calls for a return of the same, it wonderfully
promotes the happiness of the human family, and brings to our con
science the sweetest testimony of having properly seconded the noblest
sentiment of man. Though through somebody's wickedness our good
deeds may not be well known, and our virtue may be denied its credit
and value, yet let us not depart, because of this, from the practice of
fraternal charity ; and let this be our consolation, that it is well-known

" To the eyes of Him Who sees everything."

230

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CHAPTER XXXII.

OF THE ESTEEM AND LOVE SHE ENTERTAINED FOR THE RELIGIOUS
STATE, AND PARTICULARLY FOR HER OWN MONASTERY.

*

|O make known what esteem and love Mary Magdalen bore to
the Religious state, it suffices to quote what she very often
said to the novices, the young girls, and all the nuns, the
better to make them understand the excellence, the value,
and the advantages of this state. She was wont to call the
Religion (Religious Life) a paradise on earth, a paradise of
delights, the garden of God ; and, comparing it to the
Heavenly Fatherland, she would point out how there is in
the Religion that order which exists between God and the angels in
heaven. Very beautiful and profitable were the things she under
stood about it in an ecstasy, and the similitudes by which God con
descended to enlighten her. Once it seemed to her as if she saw the
Religious state under the figure of a most beautiful virgin, mysteriously
clothed, with various instruments in her hands, from which she under
stood how the Religion perfects and adorns the souls dedicated to it.
Another time it appeared to her under the figure of a fountain and streams
of various liquors, and she understood by this the spiritual tastes that
God communicates to the true Religious. She also saw it under the
figure of various crossways, and she understood by that how the Religious
Life is a short road by which to reach heaven. She also saw it under
the form of other symbols, which would take too long to enumerate.

Both in her ecstasies and out of them, she spoke of the Religion
with expressions of the highest sublimity and deepest gratitude. After
baptism, she deemed the grace of having been called by God to the life
of the cloister as the greatest of all, regarding a religious vocation as the
most sublime privilege God can confer upon a soul after having washed
her in the baptismal waters. She was often heard to say that she would
not have changed her condition for that of any king or monarch in
the world, and that she did not even envy the angels of heaven, as the
Religious state professes to imitate the Incarnate Word by the observance
of the three vows, which the angels cannot do. She added that even if
she were to be used as the dish-cloth of the monastery, she would regard
it as a greater favor than the possession of any worldly greatness whatever,
and she would always have considered herself unworthy even of that office.
Hence she often used as an ejaculatory prayer these words of the prophet

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 331

David : "7 have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God, rather
than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners" (Ps. Ixxxiii, n). Hence,
whenever any person embraced the Religious state, she felt very great joy
thereat, especially if such a person entered an order of strict observance.
The least order of the Religion she held in high esteem, regarding it as
written and ordered by the Holy Ghost; and she made much of all, even
the most simple things of Religion, and would not permit them to be
criticised in the least in her presence, nor would she allow any levity or
scurrility in those whom the religious habit covered. A novice wonder
ing how the nuns of said monastery could endure its fatigues whilst being
nourished with coarse and unwholesome food, thus spoke the Saint:
"These meals are sanctified by the Religion, and God places in them a
virtue by which they nourish us as though they were of the best food ;
and when God wants otherwise, He will provide," as the monastery was
so poor that it could not then furnish the community better food. If any
nun became sick, or grew so tired as to be unable to endure some labor
prescribed by the monastery, she would suggest to her to beware of
blaming for it the mode of life of the Religion, but rather to say : " I, on
account of my sins, deserve not to be able to labor in the Religion,"
thus accepting from the hands of God with equanimity of sentiment both
good and hard living. Likewise she could not endure that the sisters
in attending to the work of the community would show any affected
tiredness, and if she happened to notice it in any of her subjects, she
addressed her as follows : u Dost thou think Religion must be obliged
to thee, because thou didst work for it ? I tell thee that thou art
obliged to Religion that makes use of thee, and the more this costs thee,
the more thou shouldst rejoice." From this great esteem for the Reli
gious state proceeded in her a very particular love for her monastery;
hence she loved it as a dear mother, and, many a time speaking about it,
was by her love for it carried into ecstasy. Often she repeated: u My
Religion!" and being one day asked by a novice why she called it
"hers," she answered: "Because God made me a present of it, and
wants me to keep it ; therefore I wish it to appear beautiful and
immaculate in the sight of God." Every morning in her prayers she
offered her monastery to the Blessed Virgin, begging her to keep it as
she kept the humanity of the Incarnate Word and her own purity.
Sometimes she showed her predilection even for the cracked walls of the
monastery, turning to them with these words: "Though the walls of
these cells are half ruined, oh ! how good and dear they are, for they
keep us separated from the world and prevent us from seeing anything
which might give us an occasion for distracting our attention from God."
She tried to impress as much as she could in the hearts of the nuns the
greatest esteem for the Religious state, and the most loyal affection for
their monastery: "Daughters," she often said to her subjects, "love
the Religion as a dear mother." At which repetition one day a novice,
being almost annoyed, asked her the reason. The Saint thus manifested
it to her: " Because it is of no use to possess a precious gem and not to
know its value; for, not knowing this, one does not esteem nor love it,"
signifying that such exhortation tended to make them know and esteem
the benefit they had received by having been called and admitted to the

AND WORKS OF

Religion. To this end she sometimes reasoned as follows: "If we
would intimately penetrate the dignity of our soul by the most close
union it has contracted with the Blessed God by means of the three
solemn vows, — as a little country shepherdess, who, having been raised
by a very powerful king to the royal dignity, dislikes anyone reminding
her of her former state, so we should despise permitting ourselves by our
own thoughts to be drawn to the consideration of worldly things ; and
knowing that we have been made Brides of the King of the universe, to
satisfy our craving for things not earthly nor corruptible, we should
raise ourselves with holy pride to the contemplation of the everlasting
riches of heaven." She also said to her novices: u As you are called to
the Religion, you are called to serve God, to serve Whom is to reign,
and to take part now on earth in what you will have to do forever in
heaven, viz., to praise and bless Him." Teaching them the manner of
loving the Religion, she told them that this is done when one obeys and
lovingly fulfills everything that the Religion orders in the Rules and
Constitutions, and good care is taken of everything.

As to the vows of the Religion, she held them as divine things, as
privileges and benefits most singular, which the Divine Goodness grants
to dearest souls as a treasure and a prize of paradise, and she loved
them as the bonds of union of the souls with God, as roads to God, as
glories of God. With these sentiments she spoke of them on every
occasion, taking very great delight in seeing herself bound by them, and
stimulating her companions to do the same on their part, none of them
ceasing to thank the benignity of the Sovereign God for the special grace
of the Religious vocation. Every day, between herself and God, she
renewed her vows. She once had in an ecstasy this beautiful intelli
gence about this renewal, which she thus expressed: u Every time that
the promises made to God are renewed, a renewal of union with God
takes place, and the beloved soul acquires more or less union according
to the state of perfection she finds herself in, and the charity she pos
sesses. This renewal of the vows made interiorly by the soul pleases
the Most Holy Trinity, as the renewal of the interior complacency the
soul experiences in herself and about herself by this offering made to
God, which always renews the delight of the first offering with a new
complacency and a new consolation. It pleases Mary as much as if she
renewed the vow of purity. It gives glory to the angels, as they see the
fulfillment of those inspirations which we receive from them. It exalts
the Saints, as they see their Creator followed in their own footsteps. It
gives joy to the Choir of the Virgins, who sing anew the new canticle,
seeing that perfection increasing which they practiced with so much
love ; and their glory is also increased, as every time this renewal takes
place, their feast, so to say, is being celebrated. The soul acquires very
great fruit, as grace is increased in her, and the promises made are
strengthened ; a new peace is born in her, and a new union ; and the
fruit of that peace appears in her conversation and works. Oh ! of what
dignity are these vows and promises made to God in the holy profession,
when their renewal produces so many worthy fruits ! Hence we should
not wonder that those who have light about this, O Word, as the Reli
gion of Thy Most Holy Name [she meant the Society of Jesus], celebrate

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

233

said renewal with so great a solemnity and feast. If the people of the
world make so much of their birthday, or the day when they are invested
with some dignity, how much more should we celebrate the day on
which we united ourselves to God by so close a tie (which can never be
untied) with feast and spiritual joy !" If this intelligence (though per
haps the result of the enthusiasm of her heart more than of the heavenly
revelation which it closely resembles) is a valid evidence of the esteem
and love which she entertained for the Religious vows, let us now see
the corresponding facts, that is, the perfection with which she knew
how to keep these three solemn promises.

234

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CHAPTER XXXIII.

OF HER OBEDIENCE.

IISTER MARY MAGDALEN was a model of true obedience,
as nothing was wanting in her that was required for the
perfection of this virtue. Her obedience was voluntary,
pure, prompt, cheerful, blind, and persevering. It was
voluntary not only by reason of a vow spontaneously
made, but also because she never needed the least stimu
lation to be moved to obey. She fulfilled the commands of
others as if they proceeded from her own will ; so that this
very facility with which she obeyed was a source of grief to her, as she
feared she would earn no merit for it. Hence she tried at least to con
ceal her natural tendencies, pretending to enjoy the hardest and most
tedious labors, and, on the contrary, to be annoyed at those which
pleased her; so that the latter being forbidden her and the former
demanded of her, as often happened, she might have the opportunity of
feeling the weight of obedience. This she was wont to call a "hidden
capital," because hidden to the eyes of creatures and known only to the
eyes of God. Moreover, it seemed so little to her to be subject to the
superiors, that she would place herself under her companions, and equals,
and even inferiors. Among her companions she selected one especially,
Sister Maria Pacifica del Tovaglia, to whom she so submitted herself
that she would ask permission of her for nearly all her actions, though
necessary and commanded by the Order. This she practiced because
she deemed it so acceptable to God to act for obedience' sake, that she
did not wish to do the least thing without actually sacrificing it to God
by means of this virtue. Hence, when she could not have the above
companion, she practiced the same submission to anyone present, and
sometimes to her very novices, as if asking their approval of her work.
When working in the kitchen with the lay-sisters, she was humble and
resigned to obey them no less than she would teachers and superiors.
She was likewise always very obedient and of one mind with those she
had as companions in the performance of certain duties, never permitting
herself to contradict them in the least. She called that day a lost one
when she did not break her own will or submit it to someone by obedi
ence to this end. She thought it was better to live in the Order than
in solitude; and she used to say, that though the state of solitude is one
of great perfection, nevertheless she would always have preferred to live

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 235

in the Order, as there is always an opportunity to give death to one's
self, by means of the abnegation of one's will through the perfect practice
of obedience.

If pure obedience is that which makes one act without regard to any
earthly interest, human respect, or self-love, but solely to please God, such
undoubtedly was Mary Magdalen's obedience. Whilst she concealed from
the eyes of creatures the hardships of obedience, that the most arduous
things might be imposed on her, it is clearly seen that in obeying she
sought nothing but to please God, to whom alone her sufferings were
known, that her obedience might be truly pure. She was wont to say,
for her own and others' instruction, that she never looked at the person
who gave the order, and to her it made no difference if the superioresses
were kind or rude, holy or faulty, because in all she always saw God Whom
she obeyed. Hence she obeyed with full will and great delight, think
ing she obeyed God, Whom she desired to please in all things ; and all the
creatures who ordered her to do services, she deemed as God's vicars.
The manner of obedience, viz. , to see God purely in the person com
manding, she gave assurance to be the most efficacious means to profit
in religious perfection and in all the holy virtues ; hence, in the fervor
of her devotion speaking to the novices, she promised that the soul that
was convinced that the superioress stands in the place of God, and what
ever she ordered and said was ordered and said by God through her lips,
had obtained from God the following five particular graces: "ist, that,
through her faith, God would communicate Himself more to that superior
and that subject having such conviction ; ad, that all things imposed
by obedience would be equally acceptable, both the pleasant and the un
pleasant ones ; 3d, that the heart of that subject would always enjoy
peace and tranquillity, and feel a contentment and great interior sweet
ness ; 4th, that such a subject would be more apt to help the Holy
Church by prayer, as Jesus hears the prayers of the obedient, and the
most obedient will be granted everything they ask ; 5th, that of these
souls God makes a crown to Himself, because as the crown manifests
the greatness of a king, so they honor and glorify God in all their
works. ' ' Free in her obedience from every shadow of self-love, not only
was she more willing to do the will of others than her own, but she was
always ready to postpone every work of spiritual satisfaction in favor of
obedience ; because, she was wont to say, when the superiors forbid
austerities, penances, and prayers, it is self-love not to want to obey. On
account of pure obedience, she esteemed humble and lowly things imposed
by others more than those of great perfection done by one's own will.

Her obedience was also prompt and cheerful. No sooner did she
come to know the will of her superiors than she undertook, without the
least delay or reply, to fulfill it, leaving unfinished any other thing she
might then have been doing. Neither were words of command required
with her ; but the least hint .was sufficient, nay, as far as possible, she
tried to guess and foresee the very wish of her superioresses, in order to
anticipate its fulfillment. Of this her mistresses and the prioresses of
those days several times rendered testimony. Not only was she never
seen sad or unwilling in obeying, even when excessively tired, but she
obeyed with cheerful countenance and spirit, as if the things required

236 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

of her would be to her greatest liking ; and it happened, moreover, that
if she found herself pressed by some internal trouble or temptation when
anything was commanded her, she was resigned, as if she had received
a marked favor from Heaven. Her promptness in obeying was such
that, whilst her soul was raised to the most sublime ecstasy, at the voice
of her superioress she either immediately came out of it, returning to
her senses, or, still ecstatic, fulfilled what had been commanded her.
Sister Vangelista del Giocondo, who nearly all the time presided at her
direction, noticed several times both the one and the other. When, in
order to obey, she came out of the rapture, as soon as she had done the
work commanded she returned to it as before ; and the nuns also noticed
that, whilst she was in ecstasy, most of the times she neither heard nor
understood any other voice than that of the superioress. The two fol
lowing cases are singularly remarkable : One is this, that Alessandro de'
Medici, Archbishop of Florence, afterwards (as we have seen) Sovereign
Pontiff with the name of Leo XI, hearing that she had already passed
fifteen days, eating but thrice during all that time, commanded her that
she should never let twenty-four hours pass without taking some food.
After this, during her long ecstasies, it would happen that when this time
was nearing its end without her having eaten, she would come to her
self, take something, and then return to her ecstasy. The other case wras
the ecstasy in which she remained during Holy Thursday and Good
Friday of the year 1592, participating in the Passion of Christ, when, on
the approach of the twenty-fourth hour of her fast, turning to her
Divine Spouse, she thus said to Him: "O Word, Thou shortenest
my time by obedience!" And a little afterwards, returning to her
senses, she took some bread and water. Another case was when the
confessor of the monastery, knowing that whilst ecstatic she had walked
around on the cornice of the choir without any support, ordered her
that in future, whenever she wanted to go there she should take the
ladder. Hence, being one day carried out of her senses by the burning
desire of going to that Crucifix, as soon as she had reached the choir,
raising her eyes to that devout image, she remembered the obedience,
and said: "One must go by the instrument;" and, thus ecstatic, she
went for a ladder, by which she ascended the said cornice.

The obedience of Mary Magdalen was not exterior and apparent
only, but interior and from her heart, that is, practiced in uni
formity of will with the person commanding. This appears not only
from the promptitude with which she obeyed, but also from her not
manifesting any opposition to or displeasure at anything which was
assigned for her to do. Though greatly anxious to suffer, she did not
cease praying to God that she might take the same food other sisters
did, when after the seven years she had passed on bread and water, she
was ordered by obedience, as has been said, to pray to the Lord to grant
her this grace, which she afterwards obtained. When, being sick or
convalescent, some delicate food or other things were ordered her to
strengthen her body, although in the beginning she seemed unwilling,
no sooner was it imposed on her to do it by obedience, than, without
saying a word, divested of all self-love, she could fully and from her
inmost heart submit to the will of others, as to that of God, saying :

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 237

"Benedictus Deus" Never did she advance an argument to change the
will of the superiors, to which she always conformed herself, deeming it
always profitable to her soul.

Hence the obedience of Mary Magdalen had also the other quality
so much appreciated by the masters of spiritual life, viz., to be blind,
that is, that not only should one agree with the will of the superior in
doing a thing commanded, but also with his judgment, reputing it
right and good/making no opposition to it, nor passing judgment con
trary to the same.1 This our Saint practiced with sovereign perfection,
as she herself manifested when instructing her disciples. She was wont
to say to them that one could not obey perfectly without entirely con
forming his own judgment to that of the superior; and that it did not
seem to her as if she obeyed, though she fulfilled a command, unless she
had previously conformed her understanding to it. Therefore, when
anything was commanded of her which was contrary to her inclinations,
she tried her best to invest herself with the feeling and judgment of the
superioress, as much as possible, by judging that what was ordered of
her was the best for herself without investigating the motive, the end,
or the intention ; in a word, without as much as thinking over it, that
no particle of her own judgment would be found therein. Of this sub
mitting her own judgment to others, she gave wonderful instances,
especially in regard to the things God ordered her in her ecstasies, which,
though she heard so distinctly in a superhuman manner, she never
practiced without the consent of the superioress or the spiritual father ;
and, if they made any opposition, the humble virgin gave up her own
judgment to follow that of those persons who were for her the safest
guide to eternal truth. She totally submitted to the superiors when
they imposed on her to conform herself to the common food and habit.
At the same time, she doubted not but that it was the will of God that
she should live on bread and water only, and go barefoot, and dressed in
the humblest tunic, as it was revealed to her in the ecstasy, and as after
wards God Himself, by the miracle which we related in Chapter XII,
convinced the superiors of what His beloved Bride had been super-
naturally enjoined to do. The miracle would not have been sufficient
unless the superiors had manifested their own condescension, so much
did she prize the visible direction to which God wants the human creature
to submit. Hence, at the end of her life, she felt she had reason to be
pleased with it, saying there was nothing of all that had happened her dur
ing life which gave her more peace than the certainty she felt of having
done nothing of her own choice, but of having been guided in every
thing by the will and judgment of her superiors. In this exercise she had
attained to such perfection that her obedience rather than blind might be
called dead, as her reasoning faculty, when it was a question of obedience,
was as if extinct. This was the grace she so much wished for, and so
frequently asked during her ecstasies, both for herself and for religious
souls, viz., to wish for nothing, to understand nothing, but to allow her
self, as dead, to be led by the hands of others. In this state, God often
showed her to herself. Mary Magdalen began to practice her religious

1 Unless, of course, it would be evidently wrong.— Note of the Translator.

238 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

obedience with such perfection when, on the very day she put on the
monastic habit, she resigned herself as dead into the hands of the prioress.
It being extremely difficult to judge the degree of perfection she had
reached in this by constant practice during her entire life, God mani
fested it by a very wonderful action He permitted to the Saint when she
was at her last moment; and it was that, being just about to breathe her
last, she was commanded that by obedience she should wait until the
father confessor had said Mass and given Communion to the nuns ; at
which, regaining her lost speech and acquiring new strength, she satis
fied the desire of others in spite of the irresistible force of death which
faced her.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 339

CHAPTER XXXIV.

OF HER CHASTITY AND THE EXTERIOR EFFICACY OF THIS
VIRTUE IN HER.

]HE fact of Mary Magdalen's having consecrated forever to
God her virginity from her childhood, and her having de
clared shortly before her death that she knew not what it
was that stained chastity, are two things which imply such
and so great a perfection that our mind would vainly try to
find any traces thereof in the natural forces of the human
creature. There is nothing in the order of nature which can
bear comparison with the stainless purity of this Saint.
The whiteness of the purest snow, that of the purest lilies, the clearness
of the most limpid waters, the brightness of the clearest sky, are vile
comparisons for the purity of Mary Magdalen. When her parents wanted
to make an earthly bride of her, she, faithful to her first intention, re
sisted them with so strong and constant a will that she concluded to
become a nun without delay, in order to remove all worldly obstacles.
The very strong temptations against purity which she endured from the
evil one during the first two years of her probation, viz., from the year
1585 to the year 1587, served but to confirm her in her resolution, so
that they became to her rather a source of merit and a crown. At the
age of forty-two, that being the end of her life, with great complacency
she could address her Divine Bridegroom in these words : "Thou
knowest well, O my Lord, that my heart has never wished anything but
Thee." And repeating these words several times to solace her spirit in
the fierceness of the malady, when she saw all the sisters present, she
thanked God also with great joy because she was dying without know
ing, or ever having known, what actions against chastity were or how
chastity could be lost. She had already told a sister who was her con
fidant that she never knew what the devil wanted of her during the
impure temptations, and that she had fought with an entirely unknown
enemy. She so much abhorred everything impure that she had cast
away her enemy before the temptation had actually assailed her; and,
though she felt the first attack, yet, her mind and will being wholly free
from every earthly affection and fully occupied with God, she could not
even apprehend the aim of the temptations. Even from these, after a
two years' struggle, she was delivered by the Blessed Virgin, who
miraculously covered her with a white veil, so that, like St. Thomas

240 THE UFE AND WORKS OF

Aquinas, by a most special privilege, she was not again tempted during
her lifetime by the least thought or suggestion contrary to purity, but had
become in regard to this like a statue.

So great a purity endowed even her exterior with something super
human. Her looks, her gestures were so graceful, grave, modest,
benign that they caused good and chaste thoughts in those who looked
at her. Her very body when she was still living exhaled such an odor
(called by the nuns odor of purity) that it greatly excited affection for
holy purity. The same nuns attested that during the last three years
that Mary Magdalen was sick in her cell, which, by its disadvantageous
situation and the continuous exhalations of a diseased body, should have
become a source of disgusting and nauseating smell, nevertheless, was
always full of that good odor which constantly came out of her limbs and
also diffused itself to her habit and the bed-covers. Her words were so
powerful to inspire purity that they never fell in vain upon the souls of
those who heard them. During her ecstasies, she was given very high
ideas of this virtue, and she manifested them in the most wonderful and
winning ways, as we shall see in her Works, in Part Second.

She was also wont to manifest with feelings of evident delight that
the Lord had granted her from her most tender years a particular love
and wish for purity ; and that she wished to attain as much purity as
one can have in this life, and that to increase this virtue in herself she
would endure any pain. Through love of this virtue she held the
virgins in great honor and reverence, and treated the girls especially
with excessive marks of respect ; so much so that one of them who had
come on trial to the monastery suspected that all the ceremonies of
Sister Mary Magdalen might not be sincere, but she finally felt much
amazed and thankful when she knew that the Saint intended thereby to
honor virginity. Thus the more of sweet delight the conversing with
such persons caused her, the more disagreeable and annoying it was to
her to treat with persons settled in the world. She said openly that she
felt more love and sympathy for the unmarried than for the married
ones, though the latter might be more upright and virtuous in ful
filling their duties. But notwithstanding these natural tendencies to
purity, and the most singular privileges with which God endowed her,
Mary Magdalen, deeming herself a person of easy capture and exposed to
the gravest dangers, used to guard herself with such austerity of man
ners, greater than which could not have been practiced by the most
wicked sinner, who, placing herself at the feet of Christ, begins with the
greatest fervor to enter the path of justice. To throw herself naked
among thorns, like Saint Benedict, is such an act that it suffices of itself
to show the force of her zeal for the preservation of holy purity. To
protect this virtue she employed as the most efficacious means the fre
quenting of the Eucharist ic Sacrament, prayer, devotion to the Mother
of Virgins, abstinence from even the lawful pleasures, fasting, and, above
all, fleeing from all occasions of seeing, hearing, or treating of things
which might furnish the least incentive to impurity. Hence, regarding
the cloistered life as the greatest boon, often transported by a live and
grateful enthusiasm, she blessed and kissed with great warmth the walls
of the monastery, and answered the nuns who sometimes asked her the

She fiercely scourges herself before the Crucifix (page 191).
240

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DK-PAZZI.

motive for so doing: " Don't you think, sisters, that I have great reason
for doing so ? These holy walls separate me from the wretched world, and
render more safe the most esteemed treasure I possess on earth" (by
which she meant her virginity). And sometimes she exclaimed with great
feeling: "Oh ! if the people of the world understood how great is the
sweetness that in the blissful life is prepared for those who always remain
virgins, they would run, like thirsty deer to the fountain, to immure
themselves in the most austere Religions, so as to preserve their purity
intact, for safer is the vineyard the more surrounded it is by thorny
hedges." One day, while in ecstasy, she said that the Religious ought
to be as distant with the lay people as the deer ; for which Jesus would
be much pleased. Thus did she act very particularly; not that she
would be rude and impolite in her dealing even with lay people, well
knowing how to couple gravity with sweetness and religious modesty;
but she was never familiar with any person outside the monastery,
neither by conversing nor by writing, no matter of what condition or
how virtuous such a person might be. Nothing short of an explicit
order of obedience was required to bring her to the parlor ; and, as often
as she had to go there, she went against her will, so much so that on
account of this she often could not restrain her tears, especially when she
was called there by worldly people, who to the eyes of the true follower
of Christ cannot be but objects of commiseration and sadness. She was
wont to say that for the time she remained at the parlor grates she
would have more willingly remained in the fire of purgatory ; as in
those persons she could only see occasions of trouble, cares, distractions,
temptations, and danger of offending God. Whilst mistress of novices,
if called to the parlor, she would say to them : "Novices, pray to God for
me, as I am called to the grates," and expressed to them the wish that
they might find some motive to soon recall her thence. On account of
this so-openly-declared repugnance of Sister Mary Magdalen, the nuns
had accustomed themselves not to tell her to go down to the parlor,
except in cases of grave importance, relating to her those of less impor
tance, that she might pray to God about them, and no more. Frequently
people asked for her to entrust to her their affairs. She also felt a re
pugnance at receiving letters, and never answered them unless compelled
by obedience. lyudovico Capponi, her relative, having recommended
some of his affairs to her, and manifested in several ways his desire for
a prompt answer, could not get it until the command of the father con
fessor intervened. As to her writing, it was short, simple, spiritual,
without ceremonies or affected words. Here, too, and for the same
reason as the aforesaid, most of her letters were communicated to her in
a general way by the superioress, who would likewise answer them.
Thus the Saint in this also kept aloof from external communications ;
and, in so doing, she greatly satisfed her wishes, holding, as she did, that
it was not becoming a Religious Bride of Jesus to have any dealings out
side the monastery, or to write and receive letters, the reading of which
recalls to the mind the things of the world.

Such a retirement from the world proceeded also from that sovereign
purity of her heart by which, even in the monastery, she kept in soli
tude, and especially shunned every carnal affection. To this all her

242 THE LIKE AND WORKS OF

companions were able to bear witness, and she said during the last days
of her life that she never felt the least attachment to any creature. On
account of this love of purity, she would not allow others to show her
excessive kindness. Hence, whilst yet a secular, noticing that her mother
was too much attached to her, and that on this account she opposed
her choosing the monastic state, Magdalen did all she possibly could
to detach her from herself. In Religion, if any of her novices became
too much attached to her, she dealt with her with such severity of
manners that the novice felt compelled either to give up or to spiritualize
her affection altogether. Moreover, she never touched anyone, neither
did she permit others to touch her; and, outside of the excesses of the
love of God by which she was sometimes forced to take her companions
by the hand to invite them to love God, she abhorred even the simple
touch of the hand, face, and the like, which worldly politeness requires,
and which she always deemed unbecoming Religious persons. During
her last illness, being unable to move herself, and, therefore, in need of
being occasionally moved by the sisters, she said and repeated to them
the following words, which also confirm how she was ignorant of any
thing which may actually contaminate chastity. "Sisters" (said she),
"if you think that to touch me in this way may be against purity, let
me alone, as I will gladly remain in this torment and permit the worms
to eat me up on this side." So great was the love she bore the angelic
virtue !

Finally, she deemed as very useful to preserve the virginal purity
never to speak nor think of worldly and secular things, so that, except
in cases of charity, she did not want to know anything of the events
of the world. This method she had adopted for herself; she also wished
it employed likewise by her companions, to whom she often said: " Re
member, sisters, that you are consecrated to God, and that you must not
care for others but for Him, and try to please Him alone." In order to
lead them willingly to solitude, she would make them reflect that the
parlor is a cause of such distraction that a Religious could never leave
it without having afterwards to spend a great deal of time in removing
from her mind the images of things seen or heard, at least those in
regard to her own peace. Another time, enlightened not by experience
but by God, she said that the discourses of seculars often darken the
white lily of chastity; and she took great delight that in her monastery
there was a general abhorrence for the parlor and dealing with the
world. Hence, whenever she saw a novice rejoicing at the announce
ment of some secular visit, she was wont to say to her: " One can see,
sister, that thou hast not yet become entirely ours, as it is customary
with the nuns of Santa Maria degli Angel i to grow sad and not to rejoice
when they are called to the parlor grates." If any other, subject to her,
would fall into discourses of espousals, marriages, parties, and the like,
she would not omit to correct her bluntly. Thus she tried to lead her
disciples and companions to that chastity (which she possessed in a
manner more angelical than human and which appeared so markedly in
the exterior of her person) by suggesting to them both by her example
and by her words the opportune means of successfully preserving a
virtue as precious as it is frail and delicate.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 343

CHAPTER XXXV.

OF HER POVERTY AND THE ZEAL SHE FELT TO SEE IT PRACTICED
IN HER MONASTERY.

|UR Redeemer had just caressed some children when a rich
Hebrew youth, moved by a certain fire of devotion, ran to
Him, and, kneeling at His feet, thus asked Him: u Master,
what shall I do to possess eternal life ? " Jesus answered
him : "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the Commandments;'*''
and, hearing how he had kept them till then and yet wished
to know more, added, in a loving tone : "If thou wilt be per
fect, go and sell all thou hast and give it to the poor, and then
follow Me, and I will reward thee with a better treasure in heaven "
(Matth. xix, 16-21). These words hint at the generous act performed by
the Apostles in leaving all earthly things to follow Christ, and at the act
which for the same purpose is practiced by those who strengthen their
relinquishment by a solemn vow of poverty. From these words it also
appears that this vow may be called the compendium, the culminating
point, the most sublime effort of human perfection. In truth, he who,
to walk in the way of the Lord, abandons not only his substance, but
every affection and wish for it, gives during life the most solemn and
the most loyal proof of his love for God. Thus he who possesses nothing,
and wishes for nothing, can be but wholly God's.

Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi protested to God every morning that she
would exalt holy poverty on all occasions. Having continually before
her eyes Jesus Christ, who was born poor, lived poor, and died naked on
the cross, she loved poverty as a thing divine, and attained to such a
degree of love for it that it was to her an unbearable torment to think
that the Order provided for her above the strict necessaries; and, on the
contrary, she greatly rejoiced when deprived of something necessary to
her. Whilst the imperfect Religious are wont to complain of their
superiors when their needs are not so promptly satisfied or in the manner
they would wish, Mary Magdalen, on the contrary, never complained of
anything, except that it seemed to her that the superioress had too much
thought for her. For which (imagined by her humility rather than
founded in truth), she grieved so much that she wept bitterly many a
time. Because what was strictly necessary was not wanting to her, it
seemed to her as if she did not keep the vow of poverty ; hence she often
complained, saying that after having professed poverty, she should have

244 THR LIFE AND WORKS OF

to die without knowing what poverty was; so that the superioresses, in
order not to increase her grief, often abstained from manifesting their
loving solicitude for her. Sometimes, being more inflamed with the
love of this virtue, she addressed to Heaven these words : " O my God,
why dost Thou urge me so much to be poor for Thee, seeing that it is
not permitted me to go begging my bread from door to door, which
would please me so much? Nay, among all the consolations I might
experience during this life, this would be the greatest, viz. , that Thou,

0 my Jesus, wouldst grant me the grace that I might die upon a
cross as Thou didst die for me." If she heard of any poor who went
begging, she was filled with confusion and said : "They are not bound,
as I am, to observe poverty, and yet they endure so many inconveniences
of poverty whilst I endure nothing ;" and here, being fired by holy envy,
she added : " Oh ! if it were given to me to go begging, and that when

1 asked alms for the love of God, contemptuous words would be said to
me, and that in bad weather I should return home tired and careworn
and without any comfort, oh ! what a joy mine would be ! But I am
not worthy of it." Exhorting the novices and her companions to the
love of poverty, she thus expressed herself: " Sisters, we will be able to
call ourselves truly nuns of Santa Maria degli Angeli, if, when being
tired and worn out in the evening, instead of getting any rest or comfort,
we should find somebody to reprimand us and give us the discipline. Oh !
what a grace, what a privilege it would be for us if, on going to the
refectory, we would find nothing to eat ; being in need of rest, we would
have no bed to rest upon ; having to dress or change our clothes, because
of the poverty of the monastery, there would be no clothes to be given
us. I, for one, would greatly rejoice at it, and I would consider myself
bound to give my blood for the person who would grant me such a favor."

She did all she could to be deprived even of the necessaries of life,
hiding as far as possible her own needs ; and, if she succeeded in doing
so, her joy was at its height. One day by an oversight of the sister-
butler no bread was placed before her at table, and she took her dinner
without asking for any ; nay, she was filled with so much joy that it being
noticed outwardly, the superioress in the recreation hall asked her the
reason of such excessive pleasure. Sister Mary Magdalen, as if accusing
herself, answered that she felt too much pleasure at not having received
any bread for dinner. Thus she rejoiced when she had to suffer cold,
thirst, fatigue, and other inconveniences of life. Sometimes, retiring to
the poorest places of the monastery, Crucifix in hand, she knelt down,
and, turning to her Lord, with tears and sighs, she gave vent to her
ardent desire of living stripped of everything for His love. " Happy I
would be" (she was wont to say), " if all that this body needs would be
wanting to it; and, instead of being gratified, I should suffer insults and
abuses for Thy love, O my Jesus ! Then I would deem myself some
what poor for Thy love."

Like St. Francis of Assisi, she called poverty by the most honorable
and endearing names ; ordinarily she called it the Bride of Jesus, adding
that it should be the best ornament of His Brides. On these points she
entertained very sublime ideas, and spoke with the most lively feeling.
The fifth night of the octave of Pentecost, in 1585, during that ecstasy

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 245

of eight continuous days, conversing with Jesus, she thus expressed her
self : u Happy those who follow Thee only without possessing any tran
sitory thing, as they shall have Thee for a reward, Who art the wealth
of every wealth, the treasure of every treasure, and the infinite wealth of
paradise! But who shall purchase paradise? Where shall sufficient
money be found ? What can be given as a price of so great a good ?
Who would believe it ? The nothingness, the nothingness ! To pos
sess nothing for the love of God, to wish for nothing of this world, to
wish nothing but God : c Dominus pars hcereditatis me&^ — * The Lord is
the. portion of my inheritance1 (Ps. xv, 5). I say more: Nay, to wish
for God only for the sake of God ! O most sublime and most rich
poverty ! Thus those who are poor have money in hand to buy paradise,
for the heavenly treasures are purchased with absolute poverty; and
the poorer a soul is, the more God infuses His treasures into it, with
which it can purchase heaven. Who* will not love poverty, which causes
God to grant us so many gifts ? ^Beati pauper es spiritu ! ' — ( Blessed are
the poor in spirit ' (Matth. v, 3). ( Quam dilecta tabernacula tua, Domine
virtutum. Concupiscit et deficit anima mea ' — * How lovely are Thy tab
ernacles, O Lord of hosts ! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts
of the Lord ' (Ps. Ixxxiii, 23). I say this of the desire of heaven, or of
the desire of Thy poverty, which is worth heaven to me, as by it Thou
wishest me to purchase heaven, and it is the price sufficient for so great
a kingdom." In another ecstasy, she exclaimed : " O happy Religious,
who are so honored of God that He Himself wishes to be their portion,
because for His love, by a solemn vow, they left everything else ! O rich
poverty ! Thou makest us the possessors of the Sovereign Good ! But,
on the contrary, woe to those Religious who appropriate anything,
trafficking with it as if they were not bound by poverty ! Alas ! that
thus they come to renounce their part, which is God, wishing for and
keeping other things besides Him, contrary to the promises made to
Him. But God grant that at death, when judgment shall take place
before God's tribunal, they may not be rejected by God Himself, and
separated from Him Who is the Sovereign Good ! O poor Religious, so
blind about their own state ! O simplicity and poverty, declining so
much among the Religious, and so little known and kept by those who
profess thee ! God knows whether this blindness will deserve any excuse
in that Divine Judgment where not only faults but even many things
that we regard as virtues, will appear to be faults and vices."

This great love that Sister Mary Magdalen bore to the poverty she
professed, she also practiced in a wonderful manner during the whole
course of her life, showing evidence of it in her food, clothing, and every
thing else of which she stood in need about her person. Not satisfied
with having chosen a monastery of wholly common life and strict
observance, she always endeavored to exceed the rigor of the rule
and the vows. She not only never kept nor received a thing super
fluous or vain, but even what was necessary she tried to reduce to the
greatest scarcity ; or, if unable to diminish it, she would choose the vilest
and the most abject. Of this ample testimony is borne by those ecstasies
she had in 1587, during which she understood how God wanted from
her an extraordinary and singular poverty, because of which she, whilst

246 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

in ecstasy, cast off shoes and stockings, threw away the bed-clothing,
leaving only the straw-bed, removing from her cell every object except
the Crucifix, and went to the old-clothes chest, from which she took the
meanest and most patched tunic and put it on. After that she would
never put on new clothing ; so that, in her person and in her cell, she
appeared to be the poorest nun. She always feared that she might pos
sess something superfluous, hence she often cast her eyes around on the
things she had. One day finding on her little altar a small piece of
cloth for which she had asked in order to mend her habit, and which
afterwards she had not used, she brought it back immediately to- the
superioress, accusing herself with great sorrow for such a negligence,
and begging of God that He would grant her time to atone for it. At
another time, out of two dozen pins she returned one dozen, thinking
she had more of them than she needed.

In 1588, the superioress, Sister Vangelista del Giocondo, foreseeing
that Mary Magdalen would pass a very bad winter with the light habit
she was then wearing, determined to give her a better one ; and, in
order that she might not grieve on that account, she employed this
stratagem: On the night of St. John the Evangelist, on December 27th,
after matin, in the presence of the nuns, she called the Saint out to the
middle of the choir, and, making her kneel there, told her that the better
to accustom her to poverty, she wanted her to take off her tunic ; and
she having taken it off, the superioress asked the nuns whether they
were pleased that another tunic should be given to her for the love of
God ; and they having assented, she called out one of them, and making
her take off the tunic, she offered it to Mary Magdalen, telling her:
" This tunic Religion gives to thee for the love of God ; put it on and
keep it until thou art asked for it." She accepted it in the true spirit of
poverty, cordially answering: "May God reward you for it;" which
greatly touched the nuns and increased their love for religious poverty.

But the renouncing of property and of one's own things is not
always an evangelical virtue. Of some philosophers we read, that to
throw off every impediment to the acquisition of wisdom, they gave
away all they had ; but theirs was not the perfect virtue shown by Jesus
Christ, the principal aim of which is to detach our heart entirely from
things temporal, from things necessary, and even from ourselves. Thus
Mary Magdalen, being penetrated by this spirit, which is the basis,
the foundation of the vow of poverty, regarded the habits and other
necessary things as objects lent her by charity, ready to give them back
at the least hint, loving to be in the monastery like a poor wretch and a
beggar, received and kept there for mercy's sake. To show in a few
words how perfect her detachment was, let these words suffice which
during an ecstasy she addressed to the Crucifix she kept in her cell: " O
Word Incarnate, if I thought that the keeping of Thy image would
deprive me of the least degree of glory in heaven, I would give it up at
once." She seemed to have no attachment but for that Crucifix, and
she was ready to deprive herself even of it at any moment. Here is the
true poverty of spirit; that poverty which, raising the soul to the bosom
of God, makes it enjoy beatitude even in this world.

On account of the same virtue Mary Magdalen experienced great

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

delight when coarse and ill-dressed food was given her ; and, on the con
trary, she tried her best to avoid eating delicate food, saying that it did
not agree with her. More than once did the superioress through religious
mortification send her around the refectory to ask bread of the sisters
and to eat it at onfce, and Mary Magdalen used to do this with indescrib
able joy. It also happened many times that, having been prevented
from sitting at the first table with the nuns, she went to the kitchen,
where she caused what others had left to be gathered into a bowl, saying
she wished it for a poor little one; and similar other contrivances of the
love of poverty were suggested to her by the zeal which moved her to
the most perfect imitation of her Divine Spouse naked and crucified.

As she well understood the welfare of the Religious derived its
greatest strength from the observance of the vow of poverty, she omitted
no care that her monastery, which she loved with a most warm and loyal
feeling, might be distinguished in a singular manner by its poverty and
religious simplicity ; hence, whenever she noticed anything having a
tendency to alter it, she immediately informed the superioresses and the
spiritual fathers of it, warmly begging them to provide a remedy. One
of her novices had worked some figures with unusual ornaments, to pre
sent them to her relations outside. The zealous mistress reproached
her, and would not permit her to let seculars see them, much less to
make a present of them. A nun had done some work for the sacristy
which exceeded the usual simplicity ; and the Saint, one day when the
spirit of God kept her out of her senses, seized and tore them. In an
ecstasy during which she understood how much this simplicity pleased
God, and how, like a watch-dog, it discovers the thieves and enemies of
the Religion, and keeps the seculars away from it, making the Religious
communities the dwellings of God, she finally concluded : " L,et each one
guard herself and take care not to draw on herself, under the plea of
compassion, the curse of some vanity. Woe, a thousand times woe to
her who will draw the curse of vanity on Religion, and especially where
a little light of simplicity reigns ! " This was her saying : ' ' Let the nun
who loves not poverty be shunned and considered as if afflicted with
leprosy."

Her ears could not endure any criticism of the things of Religion,
and she thought that the poorer and more abject these things were, the
more they ought to be esteemed and sought after by the Religious, because
they had professed poverty, and the poor appreciated everything, know
ing that precious and valuable things were not for them. She was wont
to say : " She that loves humility and poverty will never waste words
to complain of anything." She also used to say: "She that professes
poverty always thinks of the poor Christ, and thinks as little of her
body as the king does of the cobweb," and, turning to those who com
plained of anything, she used to say bitterly: " Remember, sisters, that
you profess poverty, and that when the poor people go begging, they are
very glad to get a piece of bread, even if it be dry and stale. " Moreover,
she asserted that poverty must be the mark of all religious works ; and
that, as the people of the world, in order to distinguish and magnify
their works, imprint their coat-of-arms on them, so, in order to make
the works of religious persons easily recognizable, they must be marked

THE LIFE AND WORKS OK

with poverty. Hence, she wanted this poverty to shine in everything
in and out of the monastery, viz., that whatever was in it or came out
of it should wholly appear as the product of a poor religious house.
Though on account of the charitable feeling she entertained for the sick
she would have wished that the Order should sacrifice itself, so to say,
for them, nevertheless she wanted that even in the infirmary poverty
should be kept, and that the difference between a sick Religious and a
secular sick person should be manifest. Likewise, though she was very
anxious that nothing needful should be wanting to her disciples, she
would not tolerate seeing them have anything superfluous, and made
them practice poverty on every occasion. If one of them betrayed too
much attachment to any object she possessed for her own use, she took
it away from her, or gave her another in its place ; and, often looking
through their cells and little altars, she would remove whatever she
found to be superfluous or too much ornamented, saying that the observ
ance of poverty was incompatible with superfluity and vanity. She took
from a novice a pair of paper angels which she herself had painted,
simply because the extremities were somewhat ornamented. She
severely reprimanded another who would not wear a veil because she
did not like it, and imposed on her that for sixteen days she should
present herself to her begging her for the love of God to give her the
most worn-out veil that was in the novitiate. She would cause some of
the oldest habits to be given to some who were anxious to have new
ones, thus exercising the novices in the holy vow of poverty, the spirit of
which, more by her marked example than by her voice, she transfused
into the souls of her subjects and companions, so that her monastery
made wonderful strides in the observance of so essential a duty.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

249

CHAPTER XXXVL

HOW MUCH SHE ESTEEMED THE RULES OF HER MONASTERY, AND

HOW SHE REFORMED THEM A LITTLE, WISHING TO DO THE

SAME FOR ALL THE RELIGIONS (RELIGIOUS ORDERS).

J

]HE solemn vows which a Religious person makes are denned
by the statutes of each regular Congregation, so that the
persons professing are bound to keep the vows according to
the Rules, Constitutions, and practices of the Religion
whose habit is worn by them ; hence, he or she who breaks
the vows breaks the laws of his or her monastery. Mary
Magdalen held in the highest esteem even the least rule,
which she would not have broken for all the treasures and
honors of the world. She regarded every rule as the will of God and
the dictate of the Holy Ghost. Unless prevented by sickness or works
of her office, it was simply impossible for her to omit being present at
an act of the community. Even the usages and practices of the monas
tery had upon her soul the force of law. If she could do no better, at
least she tried to stay a few minutes with the community, thus gather
ing, as she was wont to say, a little of that merit which to the rest was
given to enjoy in full. When she was wholly prevented from attending,
she tried to make up by the desire and by humbling herself before God
and confessing herself unworthy to take part in that observance. During
the night or at an extraordinary time she did the works of her choice or
of charity, in order to be ready to do those prescribed by the Rule ; so
that the superioress sometimes seeing her very much fatigued, out of
compassion for her would tell her to give up her work at once and rest
herself; but she never accepted such a dispensation unless compelled
by obedience. In order that this might not happen, she tried her best
to hide her fatigue and needs.

Silence was for her one of the principal points of religious observ
ance. She was wont to say that a soul which does not taste the sweet
ness of silence, can never taste the sweetness of the things of heaven;
nay, that it will live always afflicted and troubled, as, by not knowing
how to restrain the tongue many evils follow, which cause the soul a
great deal of trouble. In regard to silence she was most observing, and
even outside of silence time, she was singularly moderate in speaking,
and always did so in a low and subdued voice, saying that such was the

250 "THE LIKE AND WORKS OF

proper way for Religious persons to speak. She greatly disliked the
raising of the voice and loud laughing, as things most unbecoming a nun.

She very much appreciated the observance of the constitutions, and
when she thought she had committed some fault for which a penance
was imposed by them, she performed such a penance without wait
ing for the order of the superioress, protesting that she would have
endured any torment rather than to see the least prescription of the
Religion made little of. Every morning she offered her monastery to
the Blessed Virgin, declaring to her that she would rather be a firebrand
of hell than not to have always zeal for her own perfection and that of
all her companions in the monastery. Hence, when she noticed in them
some transgression of the rules, if able, she would remedy it herself; if
unable, she would have recourse to the superioresses and the senioresses,
that they might watch and remedy the disorder, saying to them that by
neglecting even the least thing concerning the holy rules, the pupil
of the eye of God (which is the Religion, on account of the love He
bears to it) was offended.

At most times, the busying of herself in behalf of others was intended
to render them more prompt to attend to the community acts; and, to her
subjects as well as to her companions, she was wont to give this advice:
That they should never prefer their own comforts nor their other actions,
no matter how devout and holy, to any order of the Religion, "because,"
she said, "in performing the common acts of the Religion, we are sure
of God's will, of which we cannot assure ourselves when working accord
ing to our own will and caprice; nay, we then expose ourselves to a
great danger of deception and illusion." She added that they were
really in great danger of being deceived by the devil, who, in order to
remain in retirement and pray at their will, do not care to attend the
exercises of the community, and, being deprived of their satisfaction,
they grieve at it, for which they injure the religious observance, which
cannot be kept if the sisters do not exercise themselves in it with fidelity
and solicitude. She also advised that every one should attend the com
munity practices with as much zeal as if she alone were bound to keep
them, and be ready to give up her blood and her life rather than allow
the least loosening of the rule and the constitutions of the monastery.
But the keen vigilance of her spirit not being satisfied with the present,
she exerted all her efforts to obtain the perpetuation of this observance
in her monastery, and she said that such an observance and nothing else
should be the legacy each one dying should leave to her surviving
companions.

Though the monastery of St. Maria degli Angeli proceeded with
great regularity and exactness in the fulfillment of its duties, never
theless the Saint, on account of the great zeal she possessed concerning
the religious perfection and the glory and pleasure given to God by a
monastery aspiring to the most perfect observance, entertained a strong
desire to perfect also its rules and to add some reform to the constitution.
One might also take this mania for reforming which fills the soul of nearly
all persons of singular piety for a subtlety of self-love, but in reality it is
a natural consequence of the greater knowledge they have of the duties,
the imperfect correspondence to them, and the importance of often

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 25!

recalling things to their first principles, that they may not be spoiled, viz.,
returning to the spirit of the lawmaker, in which true and legitimate
reform consists. Macchiavelli, even in the political laws, proposes and
recommends it to enlightened men ; and shall it not be the desire of
the good that this may obtain in regard to God's law of which the many
passions of the wicked, and the discouragements of the imperfect, op
pose the proper fulfillment ? But in a matter of so great importance and
delicacy, Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi did not fail to have persistent recourse
to God, Who afterwards was pleased to reveal to her some points which
He would like to have inserted in the constitutions. Of these, some were
by her uttered in an ecstasy and taken down by the nuns, and others
she wrote with her own hands ; and, being near death, she called to her
self the father director and confessor, Rev. Vincenzo Puccini, and to him
she gave a memorandum of all the things that, by the will of God, were
to be added to the constitutions, and warmly begged him to unite them
and coordinate them with the same. This, he having promised, was
done after her death with the consent of the chapter of the monastery;
and this reform was in 1609 confirmed with a special brief by the Sov
ereign Pontiff Paul V. To dispose the nuns to a stricter observance, she
often addressed to them the most cogent reasons, and she would exact
from the novices before their profession a promise concerning this matter.
This zeal of Mary Magdalen was not restricted to her own monastery
alone, but embraced all the Religions, wishing to see them all in the
highest fervor and purity of discipline in which they were begun by
their founders. If unable to assist others proximately with her work,
she offered to God for them the most fervent prayers and presented her
self to Him ready to endure any pain whatsoever that they might resume
their original fervor. She was wont to shed copious and bitter tears on
account of the relaxation of the Religions, and she even said that she
would not mind being considered crazy if she could have gone around
the world to bring back the cloistered families to their original fervor.
To this end, she often dictated, while in ecstasy, letters addressed to
various regular prelates, which were written by the nuns present, but were
not sent to their destination. The visions she had of the souls of Religious
falling down like lightning into hell, condemned to the most horrible
torments for their inobservant life, were the strongest motives to en
kindle her zeal in favor of religious observance. Having once heard of
some friars who boasted of observing poverty more than others (as they
were scantily provided for by the community), and of trying to help
support themselves by appearing lowly dressed, which would not have
happened if the Religion had provided for them, the Saint, with sighs
and weeping, thus exclaimed : " O blindness of the creatures ! O Religious
state so little known ! O great misery, that they try to cover the very
evil with what is really good, to the loss of many souls! These de
ceived ones think that they will find the merit of their works, but will
find instead their eternal perdition, as the inconveniences of poverty
will have been the effect of their own self-love. ' ' In regard to this point,
she used to say that the salvation of the observant Religious who is
provided for by the Religion in all needs, is almost assured ; and, on the
contrary, that of the Religious who is voluntarily a property-holder,

252 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

though dressing poorly, is almost despaired of; for, if the latter had not the
disposition to deprive himself of everything, there will be no heaven for
him. About this most important subject of life in common for all Relig
ious, she thus expressed herself: u I cannot see nor understand why those
Religious, who by the three solemn vows dedicated themselves to God,
do not keep community life, but try by holding property to alter so
beautiful an order of perfect life. O accursed property ! which carries
with it so many pretexts and inventions by which it often makes a thing
appear as virtue which is nothing but vice and defect." And again : "I
do not understand how Religious can with good conscience have par
ticular revenues, and how the offices of the monastery must be kept with
particular incomes and works, so that it ordinarily happens that Re
ligious are more attached to the things of the world than seculars are.
O my Jesus, make me suffer any pain that so many Brides consecrated to
Thee may return to observe life in common, as Thou makest me see to
my great sorrow many of those unhappy ones descending into hell."

She also understood ecstatically how displeasing to the Lord those
Religious were who occupy themselves in worldly pursuits, upon which
she said, with great emphasis, the following words : " May it please God
that this trafficking in exterior things in which the Bride of Jesus
indulges, and which takes from her the time and the opportunity of
doing her true traffic with God — may it please God that in the end they
do not take from her the beatific vision ! " Which threat was uttered by
her with so great energy that she frightened those who heard her. In
another ecstasy, she understood the enormous offense which is offered to
God by those Religious who, not being satisfied with being themselves
inobservant, prevent others also from fulfilling their duty; and, on the
contrary, she understood how much pleasure and glory is given to God
by those who, living in a Religion of lax observance, try, as far as they can,
though meeting with obstacles, to correspond to the true spirit of their
Order, thus becoming a source at once of good example and of reproach
to their companions. Feeling compassion for these, she said : " Oh ! how
grieved I am at not being able, by shedding my own blood, to obtain
that those enlightened souls dwelling in a lax Religion may enjoy the
happiness and opportunity I enjoy, by corresponding to the desire and
interior stimulus they feel." Then, thinking of herself, she added : u Oh !
how better than myself they would serve God ! Oh ! much more grateful
for such a gift they would be if they would find themselves where I am."
Moreover, reflecting on the evil conduct of those nuns who, to please
wordly creatures, perform works of fashion and make up attractive orna
ments, she exclaimed, in like words of sorrow : "Alas ! tl-at those
eyes that ought yet to be fixed on Christ Crucified and His divine beauty
should busy themselves so unhappily to look upon things vain and
miserable, and that those hands consecrated to God should be employed in
making snares to catch souls and send them to hell ! O extreme misery !
O miserable and ever- to-be-deplored unhappiness ! " One day whilst she
was looking with great attention at some flowers wrought with great
skill by some nuns, she was asked by some of them why she looked at
them so attentively. And she answered : " O my sisters, I think and
consider that God knows whether the nun who made these flowers knew

In obedience to her confessor, she revives and receives new
strength " in e/\tremis " ( page 284 ) .

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 253

how to take as much time to enter into herself and think of the stale of
her soul and her obligation towards God, as she knew how to take in
doing this kind of work." And she added : " O confusion of ours ! God
knows whether I, too, have employed my attention in making acts of
love of God as she employed her talent in flower-making. O nobility of
the soul, especially of the religious soul, that is under such an obligation
of serving God, in what art thou wasting thyself? O unhappy Religious,
so blind concerning the dignity of their state ! " She gave vent to many
other exclamations like these when considering the relaxation of the
Religious. It was from the expression of these sentiments that the nuns
gathered wonderful evidence of religious perfection which the Saint
furnished upon every opportune occasion, and of which we shall give an
abridgment of no little interest in the Works. Here we shall relate the
two following ecstasies as appertaining proximately to the subject we
treat of.

One evening, the spirit of Mary Magdalen being absorbed in a
celestial ecstasy, she heard the Most Holy Trinity calling her thus :
* ( Come, my chosen one, take three victims and consecrate them to us,
the Three Divine Persons, though they may be already consecrated."
Not understanding what these three victims were, whether they were
the three powers of the soul or something else, three souls were par
ticularly named to her, whom God had chosen for the Religion; and
she was given to understand that these would not be the last ones, but
that before her death she was to consecrate to the Most Holy Trinity
six others who were not yet in the Religion ; and that, of these nine souls,
she was to consecrate three to the Father, three to the Word, and three
to the Holy Ghost. Hence, having understood the will of God, she with
drew to a secluded place with the superioress, another mother, and the
three souls above mentioned, two of whom were Religious already
professed, and the other a girl on trial, who wished very much to become
a nun. These, then, were the three victims to be consecrated to the
Three Divine Persons, one for each, as it was even more clearly shown to
her afterwards. Turning to them, therefore, whilst still in ecstasy, she
said to them : "Are you satisfied, O sisters of mine, that I should conse
crate you to the Most Holy Trinity? " Upon all of them answering in
the affirmative, she also asked them whether they were ready to submit
in everything to the Divine Will; to which, having received an affirma
tive reply, she continued, saying to them : u This shows the submission
you must make of yourselves to the Divine Will, being ready to suffer
everything interior and exterior to fulfill God's Will." Then, kneeling
down, she said: "Now adore the unity of the Most Holy Trinity, for
yourselves and for all those who fail to do so." Then arising, with
hands and eyes lifted up to heaven, she added: "Be always right and
sincere in every action and work, keeping your eyes fixed on God."
Kneeling again, she extended her arms, saying : " Always have a great
desire for your perfection and that of the Religion, and to be kept like
the Word on the cross — namely, lowly and despised — and consider your
selves such." Then she crossed her hands on her breast, pronouncing
with force these words : "Embrace, O sisters, all creatures in a bond of
charity and love, loving every one of them always in the bond of love

254 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

and charity." Here she told them to say the Confiteor, and made the
two who had the veil renew their profession, and the girl the resolution
to take the religious habit. She then took the hands of one of the pro
fessed nuns and offered her to the Most Holy Trinity, and particularly to
the Person of the Holy Ghost, not with the sound of her voice, but with
her eyes fixed on heaven, remaining entranced for some time ; then she
made it known to be God's will that that sister should promise to be
always zealous as to herself and others for sublime purity of heart and
holy simplicity, trying with all her power always to promote in the Re
ligion the perfect observance of this holy vow of poverty, and she
exhorted her to take for this end, as a patron, St. John the Evangelist. She
took the second nun likewise by the hand, offering her to the Most Holy
Trinity, and more particularly to the Person of the Word Incarnate, and
remaining, as before, a little while without speaking, she told her it was
the will of God that she should promise to have always a great zeal for
the perfect observance, by herself and all her companions, of the vow of
poverty and of true poverty of spirit, exhorting her to take for this St.
Paul the Apostle, as a patron. The same thing she did with the girl,
offering her to the Eternal Father, and she told her that God expected
from her that she should reduce to effect the inspiration she had to
become a nun ; which having done, she should attend with the greatest
care to the practice of obedience and self-abnegation, and try with equal
zeal to make her companions do the same, taking for a helper the seraphic
father, St. Francis. The offering up of these three creatures and their
correspondence being completed, it seemed to her as if each of the Divine
Persons espoused the one that had been respectively consecrated to Him,
drawing her spirit to Himself in a manner altogether peculiar ; and here
ended the first ecstasy.

There was on probation in her monastery a girl by the name of Cath
erine, who had entered there with marked vocation, but, on the other hand,
she was troubled by our three capital enemies, which wished to draw her
away from the divine call. After having several times assisted and com
forted her, one evening Mary Magdalen, whilst speaking with her, was
rapt in ecstasy, and, turning upon her a look of encouragement, told her
with a firm voice not to fear any assault, but to fight with great strength
and to be sure that God wanted her to IDC a nun in that monastery, and
that no sooner would she put on its habit than all temptations would
cease and an ineffable peace would fill her heart. Having made this
known, the holy mother took the girl with her to the choir, where
ascending, as usual, the entablature and taking therefrom the often-
mentioned Crucifix, she gave it to her, and then both passed over to the
oratory of the novices. Here, in the presence of the prioress, the mis
tress of novices, and another mother, she consecrated that girl also to
the Most Holy Trinity, and particularly to the Person of the Word, she
entering into the number of the nine offerings above mentioned. In
offering her, she followed this order : First, she asked her whether she
was satisfied that such a consecration should be made of her, and having
received an affirmative answer, she proceeded to ask her this question :
"Dost thou choose to do this by my advice ? " To which the girl replied :
"No ; but simply to fulfill the will of God, which I believe is found in

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 255

what thou now desirest to do with me. " Then the mother made the girl
go through a brief self-examination; and, having said the Confiteor
with her, she offered her in particular to the Divine Word — not with
words, but with the effervescence of her heart, as she had done with the
first three. After this, she told her what God wanted of her, and assigned
to her, as a patron, the glorious St. Ignatius Loyola, and then came to
herself from the ecstasy. A few weeks having elapsed, the same girl
received the nun's habit with ineffable consolation, but the enemy of
mankind the same evening assailed her with new temptations and
stronger suggestions. But the holy mother, who was then in ecstasy, ran
to encourage her, speaking to her as follows: "I bring theegood tidings,
beloved soul ; hear me : An archangel, beautiful and radiant, came with
a scythe and cut off all the thorns by which thou hast been pressed from
the day thou madest thy first covenant with God until now, except some
little ones which thou hast to trample upon, that they may not grow and
pierce thee. The thorns are the passions ; and, when these show them
selves at the window, thou must fight or bind them. Thou fightest them
by doing the opposite of what they wish ; thou bindest them by the
recollection of thy obligations towards God. Place two guards over
thyself; one at the door of thy soul and the other at the door of thy
heart ; visit them often and keep them watching that nothing may enter
there which may not be able to stand before the divine purity. Give
death to self and bury thy own opinion and understanding, and thus
shall thou enjoy the peace of which I spoke to thee. If I had all the
angelic and all the human tongues, I would still be unable to tell all the
glory thou hast given to God, or rather God has taken to Himself out of
the oblation thou hast made of thyself to Him. And if thou wishes! to
walk towards that perfection to which He calls thee, thou must not think
of any impossibility in interior or exterior works, but have always a
lively faith and a firm confidence in our loving and great God and in holy
obedience. As the Divine Spouse chooses thee for the highest per
fection, see that all thoughts, words, and works are according to the
model He left us in His humanity. Jesus takes much delight in the
Brides that are dear to Him, wishing through them to make the places
where they dwell perfect." This is what was spoken by the ecstatic
Mary Magdalen on the above occasion, but she said more, carrying into
the soul of the newly-made bride perfect calm and ample understanding
of the worth of the evangelical counsels.

Among the things mentioned in this chapter, the attention of a
Religious is called, above all, to what concerns community life, viz., that
mode of life which, destroying totally the deliberative faculty about any
subject whatsoever, embodies in one all the products of the house and
those of the individual, so that, providing for all, it is lawful to none to
choose or appropriate or dispose at will of anything. Upon this point
I will make but two reflections, for the regulars, more than for the infor
mation of others, as the former stand in greater need of the divine grace
to elevate them to thoughts and affections more worthy of their vocation.
I say, then, first, that the Religious more fervent and assiduous at prayer
and in the observance of their duties, have also a great desire for life in
common, and also endeavor to introduce it where it is not practiced. If

256 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

their efforts are often useless, the cause of it is in the number of the im
perfect, which ordinarily is greater and more powerful, just as the zeal of
the bishops is seldom sufficient to put the nuns under this system, which
is so essential to the vow of poverty, and consequently the cause of so
much peace and profit to those communities which have adopted it;
just as, I will also say, even the wish of the Sovereign Pontiffs that all
regular Congregations would submit to the community life has remained
almost wholly inefficacious, for the reason which has been advanced that
the house had not sufficient income to live the life in common. From
which I draw my second reflection, asserting that such a pretext, unless
we call it manifestly erroneous, cannot be ascribed to want of spirit,
to say the least, because, if in private life the individual by his industry
provides for all his needs, by doing as much for the life in common the
same results would be obtained for all and for each in particular. The
concurrence of many causes to one end will even give more impetus to
the whole — so that it may be shared by each one — than if each cause
worked separately and for the individual benefit. Hence we must con
clude that a remnant of wordly love and of self-love is the source by
which some religious is obstinately opposed to life in common, and that
he alone shall be able to justify himself who, having embraced the system
of private life, does not persist in it because attached to it, or would not
care whether the efforts of those who are more zealous and virtuous
would meet with a happy result or not ; but because it is not in his power
to do otherwise.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI.

257

CHAPTER XXXVII.

SHE WISHES TO SUFFER PURELY FOR GOD, WHICH PROVES HER EMINENT

SANCTITY ; WHEREBY, ON ACCOUNT OF HER BEING PRESENT, OR

OF THINGS SHE HAD USED, MANY WONDERFUL EVENTS

TOOK PLACE DURING HER LIFETIME.
If

|T is the heroism of virtue so to elevate one's self above the
sorrows of nature as to aspire, with joy and longing desire,
to nothing but the desolations and the torments of Calvary,
whilst it is also lawful and proper for just souls to desire the
enjoyment, at times, of the delights of Thabor. Mary Mag
dalen De-Pazzi possessed this virtue in so heroic a degree
that she seemed never to have suffered enough ; and in the
year 1590, viz., at the end of the five years of her trial, she
gave up to God all but spiritual taste, making with Him an agreement,
which she then expressed in ecstasy and afterwards confirmed several
times out of ecstasy. To a sister who offered her congratulations to the
Saint upDn the glorious end of her combats, and the promise God had made
her that 'she would enjoy in return His Divine Presence, she answered :
* * It will be so truly, but without any sweetness ; it will only be for comfort
and strength in trials;" thinking of this relinquishment of all sweet
ness. Being also asked by the same nun about the motive of so sublime
an act, the Saint manifested it in the following words : " Wishing to be
able to give and offer to God something, and to remain for the love of
Him without anything, and finding that I had nothing, as by the vows
of holy Religion I have renounced not only every created thing outside
of myself, but even my own self and my own will, I gave up to Him
what he had given me, having nothing else to give Him." It happened,
•therefore, that from the year 1590, though God deprived her not of the
ecstasies, yet, as she was wont to say, these were almost always without
any sensibility of spiritual taste, and rather intended for the strengthening
of her soul and its powers. Hence, one day whilst out of her senses and
feeling her heart inundated with an extraordinary delight, she uttered
these words in a tone of lamentation : "Ah ! my God, why dost Thou
break the agreement Thou madest with me when I gave up all de
lights for Thy love? n Thus, except during these ecstasies, desolation
and aridity prevailed in her spirit, so that frequently, to excite herself to
devotion, she was compelled to have recourse to those means of which

258 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

the beginners in God's service stand in need. Sometimes she was wont
to say that in thinking of God she became like a piece of wood or stone,
without any feeling. Her own humility made this aridity even more
painful, for, though it was a matter of her own choice, she feared lest it
might be the consequence of her own fault ; and, feeling so much repug
nance to the exercises of piety, it seemed to her as if she did not execute
them with the necessary promptness. Of this she often accused herself,
to a companion, in these words: " O sister, it is very hard, and a soul
must have really tasted of God and be truly anxious to suffer, in order
that she may be able to work, in the midst of so much aridity of spirit,
as if she abundantly tasted of God." Thus she spoke to accuse herself,
far from realizing that she was the very person who possessed so great a
perfection. Hence the exercises of devotion, which she never omitted,
no matter how much weariness they caused her, were so perfectly and
evidently virtuous, on account of the purity of their beginning, prog
ress, and close, that they brought her to such a degree of sanctity as to
cause the most manifest signs and the most wonderful effects to be
visible in her own person. From her eyes, words, gestures, and every
movement of her person, it appeared that she was a Saint, and every
body was compelled to adjudge her a Saint who saw her, though not
knowing who she was.

We have already seen how she infused into the souls of others hatred
of vice, love of virtue, comfort, encouragement, by a word or a look,
and sometimes by her own presence alone. All her companions of the
monastery were able to testify to having experienced in themselves most
consoling effects by virtue of their holy sister; and this was particularly
the case of those who had been under her direction, some of whom
affirmed that, being molested by great temptations, these would cease by
their simply approaching her, or touching her habit, or just remaining
where she was, or looking at her; or, if away in another place, by simply
turning their thoughts to her, they felt sweetness and peace descending into
their hearts. As true virtue never compromises with vice, she wrought
in the souls of those who were stained with it salutary effects of con
fusion, shame, and sadness. Among many others was the case of
a Florentine youth, of noble family but licentious life, who, having
gone to the monastery to visit a sister of his, who was a novice there,
no sooner did she come to the grates, accompanied by her mistress,
Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi, than without a word or syllable of courtesy to
one or the other, he immediately left. On the day following, the
mother of the novice came to apologize for the incivility of her son,
relating how he was so terrified and confused at the sight of the Saint
that he could not endure it for a single minute. Even brute animals
seemed to feel some depression and restraint in her presence. Once, a
wild-goat that had been presented to the monastery began to run here
and there, so that it was not possible for the nuns to secure it. It
entered the work-hall, where, on account of its restlessness, it threw
those who were present into great excitement and fear lest it might do
some damage. Soon afterwards Mary Magdalen came in, and, approach
ing it, it immediately submitted to her, becoming meek and tractable,
and allowing itself to be seized and led to where the nuns wanted it.

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 259

Another time, whilst the nuns were at dinner, by an oversight of the
jani tress a mastiff got into the monastery, striking terror into everyone
by its ferocious, mien. Mary Magdalen seeing the anguish of the sisters,
who did not know how to chase it away, got up from the table, and,
calling the dog (which promptly obeyed) to herself, took it by one ear,
and the dog, like a little lamb, permitted her to lead it to the door of the
cloister, whence she sent it peaceably away.

We have already remarked that, besides her presence, the things that
had been used by her communicated some of the superhuman virtue that
was in her. Her nuns attested that they derived some benefit both for
the good of their souls and for the health of their bodies, either by gird
ing themselves with her cord, or by carrying her hair-cloth, or by touch
ing the habit she was wearing. ' On Good Friday of the year 1592, Sister
Mary Magdalen De-Mori, a nun in the same monastery, was much
troubled by pains of gout and sciatica, to which she had been for a long
time subject. Whilst suffering such severe pains, au inner voice was
thus encouraging her: "If thou wilt recover, get somebody to carry
thee before the mother, Mary Magdalen." Hence, having conceived
some confidence in this inspiration, with the permission of the supe
rioress, she caused herself to be carried to the place where the Saint
was, and found her rapt in ecstatic contemplation. With the assistance
of two sisters she approached her and touched her with the affected side,
and this was enough for God to perform a miracle by means of His
beloved servant. The patient felt that her pains had immediately ceased,
and without any help she returned to her cell. Another nun was
tormented by such excessive pains in the head that she felt as if her
brains were bursting out. She went to the bed of the Saint, who then
was seriously ill; and, having rested her head with great confidence on
her shoulder, she felt instantly that all pains were gone. Some nuns
also remarked that when the Saint was working in the kitchen, her
hands seemed to possess the virtue of increasing the things ; as, with less
quantity than that assigned to anybody else, she succeeded in making
larger and more abundant dishes; hence, a lay-sister in particular,
whenever she noticed that the provision was insufficient for the com
munity, recommended herself to Mary Magdalen, who encouraged her to
have faith ; which the lay-sister trying to do, she confessed that thereby
she herself saw several times that the things were wonderfully multi
plied, so that there was something left after she had given to all an
abundant portion. These things wrought by Mary Magdalen during
her lifetime, and which stand as a proof of her eminent sanctity, become
accessories to the following prodigies, which, by their notable impor
tance and on account of their being recognized and approved by the
Holy Church, deserve that we should believe them to be more than
probable.

i. LICKING THE DISEASED LIMBS OF A NUN, SHE CLEANSES AND,
HEALS HER. — In the year 1591, Sister Maria Benigna Orlandini was in
the same monastery sick with such a disease that the physicians judged
it to be leprosy and wholly incurable, as evidenced by the inutility of
all remedies applied. Discouraged by so obstinate and incurable a dis
ease, this nun had recourse to the holy mother, begging of her to obtain

260 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

her recovery from Jesus. The Saint promised her to do what she wished,
and on the morning of St. Peter the Martyr, both having received Holy
Communion, Mary Magdalen a few moments afterwards was raised into
ecstasy. Thus ecstatic, she went to the infirmary, where, presenting
herself at the bedside of the patient, cheerful in countenance and ex
tremely sweet in the expression of the salutation of peace, she removed
the veils from the head of the sister, and with her own tongue began to
lick her head, ears, and neck, commanding her at the same time iiot to
speak to anybody in the least about this fact, but simply to trust in God
that she would get cured. It happened that after the lapse of a few days,
the sick nun found herself cured and cleansed entirely from that pesti
lential sickness.

2. SHE MAKES THE SlGN OF THE CROSS REPEATEDLY OVER A
PAINFUL SORE WHICH WAS TORMENTING A NUN, AND SHE CAUSES THE
IMMEDIATE CURE OF THE SAM& — In the same year, 1591, Sister
Cherubina Rabatti, already mentioned, for a similar reason Wag greatly
tormented by a sore which was eating through trie back part of her head.
Now it happened that, on the morning of the i3th of December, whilst
the nuns were receiving Holy Communion, the Saint, being in ecstasy,
by divine disposition, did not approach the holy table ; hence the con
fessor, having to carry Holy Communion to the sick ones, told her to go
for it to the infirmary, which she did, and there having received Com
munion was again rapt in ecstasy. During this, she approached Sister
Cherubina, and thus spoke to her : " Sister, Unite with me in asking thy
cure of the Lord God." And both having prayed a little while, Mary
Magdalen made the sign of the cross three times over the head of the
patient, and instantly the sore was healed, leaving her wholly free from
the fever and the pains which had afflicted her.

3. THE SAME NUN BEING NEAR DEATH IS CARRIED TO THE
STRAW-BED WHEREON THE SAINT WAS SLEEPING, AND RECOVERS
PERFECT HEALTH.— The same Sister Cherubina Rabatti the following
year, 1592, on account of two sores, was confined to her bed with
such violent fever and spasms e that by the advice of the physicians,
who declared all hope gone, Extreme Unction was administered to her.
In the meantime, Mary Magdalen, the better to assist this patient, and in
order to be certainly present at her death which was thought to be very
near, had her straw-bed carried near the room of the sick nun. In this
condition of things, without a ray of hope, humanly speaking, a com
forting voice thus spoke to the heart of Sister Cherubina : " If thou wilt
recover, enter the bed of Sister Mary Magdalen." To which inspiration
willingly listening with great confidence, by the permission and in the
presence of the mother prioress, she caused herself to be carried from the
infirmary to the straw-bed of the Saint; and lo ! what a prodigy! no
sooner was she laid down upon it than she felt better, nay, cured ; so that
in about one-eighth of an hour she went by herself to her own bed, more
out of caution than anything.else, and arose the following morning with
her ^ usual strength and went with the nuns to recite the Office in the
choir, and then followed all the other exercises of the monastery.

4. MARY MAGDALEN MIRACULOUSLY CURES ANOTHER NUN OF
A SERIOUS SORE.— Sister Maria Caterina Chelli, a professed nun of the

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 36 1

same monastery, had a sore on the right arm near the wrist. With
physicians and medicines she had already doctored for two years, with
out any good result; nay, she was getting so much worse that, a piece
of bone being extracted from the sore, the physicians said that either
she would be a cripple or would not recover. On the i5th of May,
1595, tne Poor sister experiencing in her sore arm persistent and most
intense pains, presented herself suppliantly to the prioress, Sister Vange-
lista del Giocondo, that she might help her in some way to be patient,
as all remedies appeared to be useless. The prioress by divine inspira
tion thus answered her: "Sister, go to Sister Mary Magdalen, and
recommend thyself to her, who has granted favors to others and will
also grant them to thee." Sister Maria Caterina went without delay to
the Saint, telling her first how she had been sent by the superioress, then
manifesting the reason, and making her request. The compassionate
and good Mary Magdalen on hearing this went to see the mother prioress,
and took her with the patient to the choir. There, the three kneeling
before the altar of the Blessed Virgin, Mary Magdalen took hold of the
sore arm of the afflicted sister, unswathed it, and then turning to the
mother prioress thus said to her: " Wilt thou that I take out the lint
from the sore?" To which the prioress answered: " If thou hast faith
that she will recover, take it out." Then Sister Mary Magdalen
having premised a short prayer, took out the lint, and bound up the
arm without putting anything on the sore; and the pain immediately
ceased. In a few days the sore healed without any medicines being
applied to it, and in such a manner that Sister Maria Caterina was
cured and as free from any scar as if she had never had a sore on her arm.

262 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF

CHAPTER XXXVIIL

OF THE HUMILITY OF HER HEART IN THE MIDST OF THE SPLENDOR
AND ABUNDANCE OF HEAVENLY FAVORS.

V

|S humility is greater and more perfect as the subject possess
ing it is endowed with higher virtue and talents, it must
not be considered improper to mention in the last place
this virtue of humility, which is the root and foundation of
the spiritual life. The profound humility of the heart of
Mary Magdalen cannot be better shown than by placing it
alongside of her other virtues, which all help to manifest
the perfection of humility ; and much would be detracted
from the idea that should be conceived of her humility, unless the orna
ments of her noble soul had been previously described. After the sub
limity of her contemplations, the marvel of her celestial favors and privi
leges, the perfection of so many virtues, the stupendous miracles wrought
by God in this soul, — her thinking so little of her own self, the low
estimation and contempt she entertained of herself, should more than
convince anyone that humility was so deeply and profoundly rooted in
her heart that words are insufficient to explain it.

Notwithstanding the sanctity of her soul, she nevertheless, on account
of the pride and ingratitude of which she thought herself guilty, regarded
herself hardly better than the devils. She deemed herself unworthy to
serve God purely — unworthy that anything should be imposed on her by
obedience, unworthy to dwell in that sacred college of virgins, to unite
her praise with that of the Brides of Jesus, and to converse with them,
even if they addressed to her injurious and shameful words. She
deemed herself unworthy of every grace and gift of heaven; also of
showing charity on earth to her neighbor, and of partaking of the goods
of all the faithful. She deemed herself unworthy to possess poverty of
spirit and every other virtue ; and above all she thought herself most
unworthy to unite with her Spouse Jesus in the Eucharistic Banquet,
unworthy of all celestial light and divine inspiration, and rather deserv
ing to be abandoned by God and left in the darkness of her sins and
errors. Finally, she wondered how God preserved her and tolerated her
on this earth, rather than hurled her down into the flames of hell.
Among all creatures she deemed herself alone unworthy of the care and
providence of God and of the love He bears to all that He created ; and
she abhorred herself, as the most loathsome and blameworthy thing in

ST. MARY MAGDALEN DE-PAZZI. 363

existence. These were not flights of diseased imagination, but thoughts
and sentiments of deep conviction, to the practice of which she dedicated
herself with the greatest sincerity and frequency. The better to impress
them on her mind and practice them, she had written down a collection
of them for daily exercise, divided into nine distinct acts, because of
the nine Choirs of the Angels : —

1. Thou shalt go to the Choir of the Holy Angels, and shalt beg of
them that they offer to the throne of the Most Holy Trinity the Blood
of the Incarnate Word, asking of them true humility of spirit ; and thou,
O my soul, shalt humble thyself so as to deem thyself similar to the
demons, by thy pride and ingratitude.

2. Thou shalt go to the Choir of the Archangels, and shalt pray to
them, as above ; and thou, O soul, thirsting for purity, asking it of them,
shalt humble thyself so as to consider thyself unworthy to receive the
aureola of virginity and serve God purely.

3. Thou shalt go to the Choir of the Principalities, and shalt ask of
them that they offer the Blood of the Incarnate Word to the Eternal
Father; and begging of them for most perfect obedience and submission
to the Divine Will and to all creatures for the love of the Creator, thou
shalt endeavor to attain to this humiliation that thou mayst know that
thou art unworthy that anything should be imposed at any time on thee
by obedience, and that thou art also unworthy to be counted among
the number of the truly obedient.

4. Thou shalt go to the Choir of the Powers, and shalt beg them to
offer the Blood of the Incarnate Word, as above ; and thou, O soul, made
slave by thy sensual appetites, shalt ask the grace of being able to
restrain each one of thy sensual appetites, and to the best of thy ability
thou shalt come to this humiliation that thou reputest thyself unworthy
to dwell in this holy college and unite thy praise with that of the
Brides of Jesus.

5. Thou shalt go to the Choir of the Virtues, begging them, as
above; and thou, my soul, devoid of every virtue, shalt ask of them
firmness, stability, and constancy in doing good, and thou shalt humble
thyself so as to acknowledge thyself unworthy of every grace and gift of
Heaven, and also of being able, while on earth, to help thy neighbor
with offices of charity, and to partake of the good of all the believers.

6. Thou shalt go to the Choir of the Dominations, asking them to
make the above offering ; and thou, my soul, begging of them a perfect
control of all thy interior passions and earthly affections, shalt humble
thyself interiorly, acknowledging thyself unworthy to possess humility of
spirit and every other virtue.

7. Thou shalt have recourse to the Thrones, who will go to the
loving arms of the Incarnate Word, and there shall offer thee ; and thou,
my soul, shalt lower thyself so as to consider thyself most unworthy, as
in fact thou art, of the union which thou dost so often enjoy with thy
Spouse, by means of the Most Holy Sacrament, Who with so much
love comes to sit in the midst of thy heart.

8. Thou shalt go to the Choir of the Cherubim, and they shall offer
thee before the most pure eyes of the Word Incarnate ; and thou, uiy soul,
shalt go on in thy humiliations, asking of the Cherubim light to know in.

264 THE LIFK AND WORKS OF

thyself the Divine Will, the graces thou receives t every moment, and
how ill thou dost correspond to them, deeming thyself unworthy of all
light and heavenly inspiration and of being preserved by the Divine
Mercy, whilst thou deservest, for thy ill-correspondence to the divine
light, to be abandoned by God and left in darkness and error.

9. Thou shalt also go to the Choir of the Seraphim, that they may
offer thee to the most sweet, most pious, and most loving Heart of the
Incarnate Word ; and thou, my soul, begging of them the purity of the
divine love, and that thou mayest burn in those flames of charity wherein
they burn everlastingly, shalt continue thy exercise and endeavor to
arrive at this humiliation, viz., to acknowledge thyself unworthy that
God should have till now preserved and tolerated thee, rather than
have sunk thee down into the flames of hell for the coldness and
frozenness of thy heart, whilst it is exposed to so many fires of divine
charity. Gathering thyself up around the centre of thy lowliness and
meanness, thou shalt acknowledge that thou alone among all creatures
art unworthy of the care and providence of God and of the love He
bears His creatures ; and, abhorring thyself as a thing above all else
loathsome and despicable, thou shalt ask for grace through these
most pure and loving spirits, to be, as was Jesus, purified and cleansed
by means of tribulation, so that all the rtistiness of thy faults may be
taken off thy soul, that it may be no longer unworthy of that most
pure love.

Such a low estimation of herself, cultivated by these and other
similar acts, so manifested itself in all her works and words that she
astonished very much everybody that knew her, as they found it impos
sible to conceive how a soul so favored of God and endowed with so
much light and virtue could entertain so vile an opinion of herself.
Confessing herself constantly to be the most abject of all creatures, in
that ecstasy of eight days during which God showed her the strength
and virtue He wished to communicate to her against the devils and their
temptations, which she was to endure pending the five years of her pro
bation, with extraordinary feeling, she broke out into these words : "Oh!
my confusion, that, being the lowest and vilest creature in the world,
still Thou wishest to manifest in me the greatness and immensity
of the treasures of Thy liberality and mercy." She was wont to call
herself God's poor little one, a little worm, a little maggot of the earth,
and similar names indicating self-contempt. Though so learned and
enlightened in things divine, yet deeming herself the most ignorant, she
asked the advice of others, be they superiors to her or not, even in the
least things, and sometimes she asked even her very novices. She did
not trust at all to her own judgment, and whatever she was doing
seemed most imperfect and of no value to her; hence, sometimes in
doing or saying anything, she addressed this question to others : " Does
it seem to you that I have done or said well ? For the love of God,
tell me whether I have committed a fault in that?" Upon which
the sisters took delight in pointing out to her some faults which
in truth did not exist; but she, believing them to be facts, accused
herself of them as guilty, deeply humbling herself and asking forgiveness
for them. In the matter of spiritual direction, although she was such an

Whilst lying dead in the coffin, she turns her face from a
lascivious young man who was looking at her

(page 290).

264

ST. MARY MAGDAtEN DE-PAZZL 265

excellent teacher, even though the thing might be of little importance,
she recommended herself to the advice of others, with this expression
of humility : " Tell me, sister, what dost thou think I might do to en
lighten this soul? " In manual work, in which also she was very pro
ficient, she thought that others were always doing better than herself.
She exalted as so many Saints all her companions of the monastery, and
humbled herself as contemptible and a sinner. She was seen several
times kissing the ground upon which her sisters had stood. She extended
her praise and veneration also to the sisters departed, speaking of them
in a manner calculated to make everybody conceive a good opinion of
them. Whenever a fault appeared in anyone, she, with humble and
charitable manner, excused it, saying : u I would have done worse."
And this was the reason why she placed herself below all the sinners of
the world. u If God would withdraw His hand from me," she was wont
to say, l ' there is no sin, no matter how grievous, that I might not com
mit." Thus she deemed each little fault of hers as an enormous one,
thinking that anyone else, had she received the like favors, would have
corresponded better to them. In the enthusiasm of her humility, she
called herself the cause of all the faults that were committed in the mon
astery, and also of all the sins of the world. In an ecstasy during which
some knowledge of the sinner's malice was imparted to her, having first
bitterly deplored such malice, she inveighed against herself with these
reproachful and threatening words : ( ' I am the cause of every evil ; let
justice, therefore, come upon me and mercy upon others." Hence sprang
in her that feeling of amazement at the thought that God, the angels,
and the Saints endured her on the earth, and that the earth did not open
to swallow her alive. One day she said to a sister : " What wouldst thou
say, sister, if thou wouldst now see the earth open and swallow me? "
And in the ecstasy and vision she had of the pains of purgatory, seeing
those suffering s